The Butterfly Effect
by InterstellarParadox
Summary: Story was just edited! Harry Potter is not the Triwizard champion anymore. How will that affect the coming year where he spectates a brutal tournament, encounters a snake, and learns the art of pranking? And how does an American wizard increase the entropy of the story? Say goodbye to canon because this is a Harry x Daphne fanfic. Lean back and enjoy the newly revamped story!
1. Eins: The Moment of Divergence

**A/N: Updated 6/25/2018 to make the story less childish and fix some mistakes**

Harry Potter slept soundly in his bed, for the first time in weeks. For the entirety of his fourth year (well two weeks of it), he had felt that something was about to go very wrong, it always did. The day that the Goblet of Fire had chosen the competitors had begun as a terrifying one for Harry. He had a awoken from a nightmare that involved a dragon and angry merpeople. He shuddered at the thought, and for the rest of the day, he had a sense of doom whenever he saw the Goblet of Fire. He remembered vividly just how his day had done a complete 180, followed by a turn that almost brought it back to a full 360, but not quite. Perhaps a 325? He wasn't completely safe yet, but it was better than the alternative. He unconsciously turned in his sleep as his flashback of the previous day's events unfolded once again in his mind, almost like a pensieve memory.

 _Harry sat beside Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table and cheered for the final champion of the Triwizard Tournament: Cedric Diggory. He subconsciously sighed in relief, he had the odd suspicion his name would come out of the bloody cup. He had no idea how correct he was, as just as soon as Cedric had left, a piece of Parchment floated over next to Dumbledore and landed on the floor next to him. Dumbledore bent over to pick it up, and since he had his ceremonial robes on, the robes only reached his ankles. Therefore, some first year girls were traumatized at seeing up the headmaster's robes as a first wind ejected from the Goblet. The image of the world's most powerful wizard's Gryffindor underpants would forever haunt them._

 _The mood soon became somber as the headmaster stared at the piece of parchment in shock. "Harry Potter," he called out softly. When Harry remained glued to his seat he yelled, "HARRY POTTER!" This time, Hermione forced him to stand up and walk to the goblet while Ron glared at him. As Harry passed by the Goblet, however, a fire erupted from the artifact. An ancient face appeared from the flames. Dramatically, it rang out in a booming voice._

 _"This boy is not to be a champion! I, Odin son of Merlin, release him from the contract. My father hid my soul in here before I died, he rescued my spirit from my dying body and gave me as a gift to continue his greatest innovation: the Triwizard Cup, a tournament that originally ended feuds between ancient wizarding clans from all around the world. For over eight hundred years I have been locked away and released at different intervals, but I have never made a mistake. And no incompetent fool will ever manage to alter my decisions with a simple Confundus as if I were a mere locking charm! The magical signature of this boy does not match the one who placed the parchment into the flames. I have seen his heart, and he is a monster. In fact, the perpetrator is among us, cleverly disguised under polyjuice."_

 _A blast of orange light emanated from Professor Moody, who was slowly attempting to inch towards the door by the staff table, as his hair turned dark and his leg grew back. The magical eyeball fell and before them stood the dark haired madman, Barty Crouch Jr., shivering in both fear and sadistic pleasure. It seemed that he would be able to curse some children after all. His pupils dilated to the point of looking feral, but before he could draw his wand Dumbledore had disarmed and bound him, showing his reflexes even in his old age._

 _"Let it be known that no one shall ever tamper with the Goblet of Fire. Many greater wizards have tried, and none lived to tell the tale. But I know this one will serve you better alive. My purpose remains, and I shall continue to unite wizards for eons to come. It seems that only violence can unite our kind. Good luck to all the champions."_

 _With those words, the goblet's fire disappeared, leaving an awkward Harry standing in front of the three student bodies. Professor Dumbledore ushered him out of the room and skipped the champion's meeting to go to his office, leaving his Phoenix patronus to speak to the champions._

 _Professor Dumbledore muttered the password 'sugar quills' before entering his office with a very confused Harry behind him. He ushered him into one of the comfortable armchairs and offered him a licorice wand, which he readily accepted._

 _As he ate the wand, as he had not eaten much dinner, Dumbledore watched him and smiled. Though Dumbledore did not consider himself a master at Arithmancy, he knew that most students denied his candy, especially the Pureblooded children. However, he had not brought Harry to his office to watch him eat candy - in fact, that would be a bit strange for a variety of reasons._

 _After hesitating for a moment, Dumbledore said, "It seems Harry, that dangerous forces are now taking greater steps towards harming you than I'd realized. That man who you saw today is the same one that you described at the World Cup, and again in your dreams. It seems you've had a stroke of luck. With the information from Crouch we might be able to find Voldemort or at least prevent his current plans from coming to fruition. It is for this matter, that you - well, actually an ancient artifact - have bought yourself some time to enjoy being a teenager, if you consider doing magic in an ancient castle while watching some of the most dangerous magic in the world be thrown around for a tournament 'normal teenager things'. It is for the best that you lie low this year, perhaps it will stop any incidents."_

 _"Yes headmaster, I'd really enjoy a normal year for once," Harry said wistfully, secretly wondering how he would manage to screw it up this time._

Dumbledore internally winced, feeling the pessimistic thoughts flowing through his favorite pupil's mind. " _Remember Harry, help is always given at Hogwarts to those who need it. Now go rest up. You've got some time to yourself, use it to enjoy yourself. I might even forget any pranks you might pull on the students. I'm sure your father and Sirius would be proud." Dumbledore replied with a wink and the twinkle in his eye._

 _"Thank you headmaster, I'll take up your offer," he replied with an even bigger grin before he took off, enjoying the last licorice wand._

Harry smiled as his dream ended, and woke up feeling refreshed and carefree. He looked out the window at the beautiful sunshine and grinned. He remained there, staring at the beautiful day until movement from a half-asleep Neville startled him. He decided to take a walk to the Great Hall after a quick shower, not caring that he would probably be the only one there.


	2. Zwei: Snake, Snake, and a Frenchie?

It was five thirty in the morning on the first day of November in the year 2016. At such an early hour, no one in their right mind was awake. Even the ghosts and portraits of Hogwarts floated and slept, respectively. There was one common exception to that rule, however. The Ice Queen of Slytherin, Daphne Greengrass, was in the shower, as per her daily routine. She always woke up at 5:25 and got into the shower straight away. By now her dorm mates had put muffling charms on their curtains to not be woken up at an unreasonable time. She changed, fixed her hair and minimal makeup, and headed to the Great Hall for a solitary breakfast. In truth, she preferred eating alone in the mornings. It gave her a few hours to read alone on the Quidditch stands, gazing over at the entire castle. On rainy days, she read on top of the astronomy tower.

That morning was particularly sunny and warm, breaking the pattern of bad weather that the autumn had brought. Daphne was excited, she'd be able to sit in the Quidditch stands. Of course, the "Ice Queen" would never outwardly show emotion, especially not in the Great Hall. As she approached the Great Hall, she thanked whatever magic was responsible for the weather and opened the doors to the Great Hall, expecting the magnificent sound of silence. She would be able to eat as much as she wanted without seeing Malfoy stare at her or the Weasley pig take away her appetite with his deplorable manners.

Her routine was shattered, however, as she saw none other than the Gryffindor Golden Boy sitting at his table, eating his breakfast with a smile on his face. Daphne inwardly seethed, he was the last person she wanted to see, besides Malfoy. To her surprise, said Golden Boy waved at her and said, "Good morning, it's a wonderful day isn't it." He looked extremely giddy this morning.

Daphne stood there, in shock. The Potter "Golden Arse", as Malfoy called him, had spoken to her. He should know not to talk to her, she was a Slytherin after all. "Whatever," she said, cursing him for interrupting her morning breakfast. Professor McGonagall smiled at the scene, as she also ate her early breakfast. She was proud that one of her lions was trying to be decent to a Slytherin.

She did not want to award points and anger Daphne further, but the professor decided to reward Harry with a revelation that would make him happy. The professor walked over to Harry and whispered in his ear, "Don't let anyone know, but I'm helping Angelina and the twins start a Quidditch tournament with our guests and mixed house teams. It's a nice day out, I'm sure you'd love to go flying."

She smiled as her favorite student thanked her and quickly went to get his broom. He hadn't even thought about Quidditch with the Tournament going on until now.

Daphne Greengrass smiled, now alone in the Hall with the Professor having finished her breakfast. She was in no rush to finish eating, and after twenty minutes took a leisurely stroll to the Quidditch pitch. Unbeknownst to her, Harry was flying around the sky, enjoying his flying. Daphne didn't even notice him as she climbed to the top of the stands. She had been engrossed with the weather and thinking about her book. She was reading a tale from her Muggle Studies class, named _The Lord of the Rings_. Truth be told, she loved muggle fiction and was a sucker for anything the professor assigned. She didn't even mind the essay that came with it, especially because the professor assigned them "pages" instead of inches of parchment. The white paper she had conjured for them was infinitely easier to fill up than the rolls of parchment, though she would never admit it to anyone.

She had only read three pages before she realized she was not alone. Harry had decided, unknowingly, to make his entrance in quite a starling way.

Harry had just pulled a Wronski Feint and had just pulled up, grazing the stands. Unfortunately for Daphne, it was the stand where she was sitting. Equally unfortunately, she was on the front row. The book flew from her hands and flew through the air, moved by the wind Harry had caused.

Harry noticed and item flying through the air and swiftly caught it. In the middle of the pitch, he read the cover and wondered why there was a Muggle book flying through the air. He looked around to see if the Weasley twins were nearby playing a prank on him, but came across a different scene. To his surprise, he saw a fuming blonde in the stands, seemingly yelling at him. The few words he could decipher were not very pleasant.

Any other day, Harry would have sheepishly apologized. However, his good mood allowed him a moment of confidence to rile up the blonde. "Been following me? Greengrass right?"

"For your information I've been doing this since first year."

"Following me?" Icy blue eyes glared at him with more intensity.

"Reading here. Now go away. You've spoiled my morning enough."

Harry gave her back her book, not backing down against her glare. His good mood remained, and he invited her to fly with him. She sent a stunner at him, which he quickly dodged on his broom. He got the message and continued flying his broom in more dangerous and complex ways, enjoying himself and his new freedom immensely.

Daphne went back to her book, occasionally glancing at his more dangerous moves.

"I hope he crashes," she muttered under her breath.

What she wouldn't admit is how much he had want to make her fly. She remembered the good times when her father let her fly on his broom. She had been happy that day, but it had been six years ago. Now, she used her basic Occlumency to hide away the memory and read her book, cursing when Potter left the pitch unscathed.

* * *

Harry's cheeriness persisted throughout the entire day. He had greeted his fellow Gryffindors and schoolmates from other houses, including Slytherin. To say Malfoy was surprised when he was greeted was an understatement. It was as if Harry had been hit by an overpowered cheering charm, which many suspected.

Harry, while being extremely cheery, had business to attend to, however. First, he used his communication mirror to speak to his godfather.

"Sirius Black," he said to the mirror. A handsome yet weary face showed up on the mirror, sporting dark hair.

"Hello Harry, is something wrong?" he asked, increasingly worried.

"Nope! All is perfect. I no longer have to participate in the blasted tournament and I can finally have a normal year!"

"What do you mean, no longer have to participate?"

Harry briefly explained the events and how the goblet had saved him from being tricked into entering. He also explained how Barty Crouch Jr. was an impostor Moody and would be questioned at the next Wizengamot session.

Sirius was shocked at first, but realized the possibilities that Harry would have this year. "Harry! That means you have a year to carry on the legacy of the Marauders - I mean, enjoy not being in mortal danger and all of that! I have to go, but remember, prank the living daylights out of everyone and get a couple of girls into a broom closet. I'll help you out over break if you'd like. Make me proud!" he said before disappearing. Harry grinned at sought out Fred and George.

When he found them in the common room, probably up to no good, he told them he needed to talk to them in a private place.

"Don't worry Harrikins-" Fred said.

"We know just the place." George finished.

Harry was blindfolded as the twins placed a featherweight charm on him and led him to a broom closet. Once Harry removed the blindfold, he panicked at being in a broom closet with the Weasley twins.

"Why are we in a broom closet?" he asked worriedly.

"Because Harry-"

"We're giving you our twin double action."

To their surprise, Harry didn't look scared but actually played along. "I'd rather have twin action from the Patils, so I'll pass."

"Is ickle Harrikins rejecting us?"

"I'm quite hurt Fred."

"Me too George."

Harry laughed at their antics before responding, "On to business. You both know I'm the son of a Marauder and godson of another. Now that my year is free, I plan on carrying out their legacy."

"So ickle Harrikins-"

"Wants to be a prankster like us?"

"We're so proud of you."

"We'll take you in as an apprentice-"

"But it's gonna cost you," the twins looked at him with seductive faces.

After ten seconds, all three of them burst out laughing. Secretly, the twins were proud that someone wanted to continue in their noble profession.

"Alright Harry, we're going to test you to see if you're worthy. We have a prank ready and you'll be the one to execute it."

They told him if their secret plan and his smile grew wider and wider the more he heard. He was certain he could do it, and he was certain Sirius would be proud of him of this prank. The twins left and left Harry alone to plot how he would go about doing it.

* * *

From beyond the grave, James was beaming. "I told you he'd be a prankster! That's my boy!"

Lily rolled her eyes and punched her husband on the shoulder, hard. Since they were dead it wouldn't hurt him anyways. She smiled, however, happy that her son would have a normal life - at least for a while - and enjoy his time at school.

* * *

It took five full days for Daphne to grow accustomed to the boy's presence during breakfast and occasionally the Quidditch pitch in the mornings. Harry had stopped trying to say good morning and instead, the two did not interact at all. In fact, the boy did not even glance up as he read a book while occasionally glancing to the side every so often. If Daphne had bothered to look at him, she would have thought it suspicious.

Indeed, Harry was up to no good. The prank that the Weasleys had assigned him was no easy task. The potion in the book was complicated, and the trigger for the prank was even more complicated. It was the Saturday that Harry would attempt to brew the potion, therefore he was absorbing as much last-minute knowledge as he could. After rereading the portion of the book which explained how to link the potion to the trigger, Harry's brain clicked and he rushed out of the Great Hall, leaving an annoyed Daphne at the other table who had been startled by the noise.

Harry rushed to Myrtle's bathroom and thanked Merlin that it was empty. Not even the ghost had made an appearance. He set up his cauldron in one of the stalls and began reading over the first ingredients and heating up the cauldron. He poured in a lizard heart and Veela hair (which he had to take from the floor around Fleur while she was distracted by the swooning boys) and stirred the potion counterclockwise seven times before the potion turned a light blue.

Harry grinned. It was so much easier without the greasy git breathing down his neck. He had to let the potion brew for one full day, so he decided to leave it be and proceed to the exit. It was never that easy, though, and he failed to notice the approaching footsteps.

Gabrielle Delacour had snuck out of the carriage early in the morning. Truthfully, she was curious about the famous Hogwarts castle and she wanted to look around. She spent hours wandering the corridors and speaking with the friendly ghosts.

However, she had snuck out so quickly, she had forgotten to go to the loo. She tried to ignore it at first, not wanting to waste time or see any Hogwarts students that could report her or ruin the atmosphere of the silent castle. However, when she had to walk with her legs together while jumping up and down, she made a beeline to the nearest girls loo. Unfortunately for Harry, it was Myrtle's bathroom.

As Harry was about to exit the stall, he felt someone get into the adjacent stall. He froze in terror, thinking the girl would see that his shoes were male. His brain kicked in after 10 seconds of shock, and he stealthily opened the door. As he was stepping out, the stall next to him opened, revealing a beautiful, if somewhat disheveled, young witch who seemed a year younger than him.

Said witch screamed and slapped Harry across the face, leaving a red outline of her petite hand etched onto his cheek.

Before he could react, she yelled, "What are you doing here! This is the GIRLS' toilets! Were you just waiting to listen to me pee you sick perv?"

Her cute French accent distracted him and he stared off into space, which earned him another hand mark on the opposite cheek. Finally, he woke up from his daze.

"I'm sorry, I was brewing a potion in here," he said, deciding the truth was better than the alternative.

"Why are you brewing a potion in the middle of the girls' toilets?" she asked, with most of her anger being replaced by curiosity.

"You see, no one has used this bathroom in about thirty years. Also, I've brewed potions here before."

He wasn't sure why he was being honest, but it worked. Her anger was completely gone. Instead of ranting, she asked, "Why hasn't anyone been here?"

"Well, there's usually an annoyingly intrusive ghost here. Also, it hosts the entrance to the chamber of secrets, where a basilisk used to live."

"Really? A basilisk? What happened to it?"

Harry's face darkened. "I killed it with a sword."

Gabrielle giggled, not believing his tale. "Sure, and then Merlin himself thanked you. Honestly, this is your story to try to save your skin?"

Harry shrugged and said, "Believe me or not, I know I'm going to get reported. But don't call me a liar." A spark of anger shine in his eyes.

Gabrielle noticed that spark and decided she'd test the boy, giving him a chance because at least he was cute and if his story was true, she'd be in for a real tour. If not, she could find another way to extort him. A tour, maybe? "I'll make you a deal then, show me this chamber, and I won't report you."

Harry relented and accepted her request. "Alright, just don't freak out. HASSSA SSAEA!" The sinks opened into a tube wide enough to fit a fat snake.

Gabrielle stared at the opening in shock, not believing he would follow through. Harry's words started her out of her stupor. "The tube is really dirty on the way down, are you sure you really want to go?"

"You're showing me one of the castle's biggest secrets. Of course I'm going." She then decided to tease the boy. Admittedly, she also wanted to protect her clothes. "However, I'm sliding on top of you so only _your_ back gets dirty."

Harry wanted to protest but decided he didn't want to risk the potion being discovered by being reported, so he agreed with a crimson blush on his face. They positioned themselves over the slide and he grabbed her waist, which made both of them blush. He then jumped into the dark tube.

He would've been nervous about the chamber, but he was instead focused on not letting Gabrielle notice his excitement at his being pressed so closely to her with only her light dress and his trousers and t-shirt separating them. Fortunately, he had a secret weapon to enexcite him: the image of a naked Snape that the twins had once Transfigured and seared into his mind.

However, Harry's efforts were not as quick as he would have hoped. Gabrielle felt something press against her bum for a few seconds. She did not complain, however, as her Veela nature made her a tease. She admitted she might have a small crush on the boy who was honest with her, or she thought he was, and quite enjoyed being held by him. Of course, that could just be her Veela nature flaring up. At age thirteen, Veela did struggle to control their inner control. Fortunately, the allure did not develop until they reached the age of fifteen.

When they reached the bottom, only the darkness of the chamber hid their deep red blushes from each other. "Enjoyed yourself there Harry? I must say I got an unexpected surprise from you, and it's not the chamber."

"Sorry," he replied sheepishly. Gabrielle laughed at his innocence, which reminded her of herself before she suggested the slide. She really did alternate between the sweet French blonde and the bold Veela presonas often. Harry tried to change the subject, "Come on, the chamber is up ahead."

When the duo came across the rock blockade, they levitated the rocks in silence for a few minutes in silence to cool off. As the rocks flew apart and slowly cleared the way, the two shared a look and quickly turned away.

Gabrielle stared in shock at the giant snakeskin by the door. This boy wasn't kidding after all. While she was distracted, Harry opened the door to the chamber and ushered Gabrielle inside.

Gabrielle was amazed by the giant chamber with is white walls and huge statues. However, she was most impressed with the giant dead snake by a giant bust of what she assumed was a famous wizard. She sprinted towards the snake to have a better look.

She gasped at the sight. The snake was preserved to perfection. The chamber's magic didn't let it rot. Gabrielle saw the eyes had been clawed out but the fangs were the size of her forearm. She was impressed and was about to congratulate Harry for killing a basilisk of that size. However, she saw Harry's face grimace as the memories came back and she could tell he was close to a breakdown though he hid it well.

"Harry? Are you okay?"

"It's nothing, it's just, this place has been in my nightmares ever since it happened. The snake just makes me remember all over again. I'll be at the other side of the chamber, I can't look at it."

Gabrielle felt bad for him. No doubt fighting a snake that size would be traumatizing. However, she got the feeling something else about that day bothered him. She followed him to the edge of the chamber.

He turned to see her walking toward him and smiled gratefully. Suddenly, she had an idea.

"Harry, I'm gonna vanish the snake's body!" she said and cast the spell.

"Wait don't!" Harry yelled. But it was too late. The spell ricocheted off the snake's protective skin and hit Gabrielle instead, vanishing her dress.

Both Harry and Gabrielle stood there, stunned. Gabrielle reacted first and tried to cover herself, but to no avail. Harry, on the other hand, stared at her body for two seconds before reacting. He memorized her perfect collarbones, then her perfect B-cups clad in a lacy blue bra. He then looked lower and saw her flat stomach and curvy hips followed by her light purple knickers. He, being a fourteen year old teen boy after all, noticed her cameltoe and the small wet stain on the bottom. Though he could not tell you why it happened, Gabrielle knew it was from the slide down to the chamber and having Harry's excitement so close. Finally he examined her long legs before coming to his senses and turning around.

His blush rivaled the color of a stunner as he tried to come up with a solution to help this girl. Suddenly, he had an idea, though it was brave and impulsive. He started taking off his shirt and Gabrielle stood there both in shock and anticipation.

"What do you think you are doing?" she asked nervously.

"Take my clothes, I'll figure something out for me."

Her blush reached Harry's level. "You're such a gentleman. I'll tell you what, you keep your pants and I'll wear your shirt. Your shirt is long enough to mostly cover me. That way, we'll both have clothes."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel exposed."

She smiled at his words, feeling her heart skip a beat at his kindness. "I'm sure, you can turn around and give me your shirt. You've already seen me anyways."

He turned around without his shirt and tossed it to Gabrielle without opening his eyes. He honestly was scared of being slapped again. He failed to notice Gabrielle's faint aura of Veela charm radiate off her unknowingly. On rare occasions, younger Veela could radiate a slight aura that inspired charm instead of raw, sexual energy like the older Veela at the Quidditch World Cup. Unfortunately, Harry was oblivious to her energy as his experience with girls was limited to Hermione and a brief encounter with Cho. He, therefore, did not notice her attempt to make the boy blush by moving her chest up and down slightly, much to her disappointment. She quickly put on his shirt, which reached halfway to her thigh and still exposed her long legs.

Harry opened his eyes after ten seconds, physically unable to close them because of the allure. He saw her with his shirt on, and honestly, he had never seen anything hotter. His basic instinct saw it as a mark of his territory, though he did not recognize the feeling.

Gabrielle examined Harry's bare chest. He was decently toned in the stomach and chest, but nothing major as he didn't work out and Seekers didn't require much strength training. She didn't mind though, as he had treated her so nicely unlike any guy who would have left her in her underwear to stare at.

They both stared at each other before they realized that they needed clothes in order to come out into the open again and get through Hogwarts.

Gabrielle was an excellent seamstress and loved making clothes for fun, but she had no material. "Do you know how to conjure material? I can make clothes out of almost anything."

"I don't know how to make any more than a little bit of cloth, and it disappears after ten minutes so that wouldn't work."

She looked slightly disappointed before she noticed the snake skin lying outside the chamber. "I can make clothes from that skin over there! My mom and I have used magic-resistant material before, I will just need a little bit of extra magical power from you if you could help. Let's go- errr… What did you say your name was?"

"I don't think we ever introduced ourselves."

They both laughed. "So I'm down here with a boy whose name I don't know, in nothing but my panties and a shirt, and we're in a chamber with no clothes? My sister is gonna kill me," she said with false fear.

"I'm sorry, I should've introduced myself. My name is-"

Gabrielle leaned over and kissed him slowly before he was able to say his name. She ground her even wetter knickers against his khaki trousers, leaving a stain, but Harry couldn't care less. As quickly as it started, Harry and Gabrielle came to their senses and pulled back.

"Now I add kissing to the list of forbidden things we did to a stranger. My name is Gabrielle Delacour."

"Fleur's sister? I'm not surprised though, you're extremely beautiful. My name is Harry Potter."

It was Gabrielle's turn to be surprised. She'd heard stories and heard girls fantasize about him, but he was even better in person. Maybe he wasn't a male model but he was kind to her and gave off a sense of adventure.

"Well Harry, you're much better than I heard the Hogwarts girls fantasize, and you're such a gentleman. I'm glad we met, even if it was quite a weird situation."

Harry nodded and pulled her in for a hesitant kiss, before getting to business. "Alright we can probably modify the snake skin from the inside where it might be less resistant to magic."

Gabrielle was disappointed that he didn't want to do more, after all her Veela hormones were desperately wishing for something else, and she was glad the shirt covered her underwear quite well. She admired his genius and followed him to the skin, where she went to work on making clothes.

After wasting a lot of basilisk skin and a lot of intimate moments measuring Harry's clothing size (which was extremely unnecessary considering she had a wand), the duo was able to make a snakeskin skirt, and a snakeskin shirt.

Gabrielle told Harry to turn around. Now in her underwear, she put on the skirt, which felt surprisingly light for such a strong material, and told Harry he could turn around.

Harry was stunned at the beautiful snakeskin skirt that hugged her legs and only reached her mid-thigh. In fact, it covered almost as little as his shirt, which she was still wearing. He snapped out of it and put on his new shirt, which Gabrielle had to admit helped his look. It even brought out his green eyes.

"You realize that you could've made yourself a dress or something and given me back my shirt right?"

"Yes, but what fun would that be, now we're matching, even if these colors don't match. By the way," she asked, "how are we even going to get back up the slide?"

Not wanting to look unprepared, Harry silently asked Slytherin in his head to please not make him look bad. "HSSSSSAAA!"

Gabrielle jumped in fright at the Parseltongue but watched in awe as the tunnel sprouted marble stairs. "Why didn't we go down these?"

Harry stayed silent but gave a sheepish smile, trying to hide his embarrassment. Luckily Gabrielle's stomach saved him from further teasing by growling.

"All this adventure made me hungry Harry, let's go eat something at your Great Hall."

"Sure! I'm sure everyone will be surprised."

"Why? I thought you didn't need uniforms on weekends? I do admit the snakeskin is a bit tacky though."

"No, it's because I have the most beautiful witch in the school on my arm."

She smiled and gave him a long kiss before Scourgifying both of them and heading off towards the Hall, hand in hand. The Hogwarts Rumor Mill spread the story that Harry Potter was with the champion's sister, and soon, all but one girl knew the news. That one girl was finishing up Lord of the Rings on the Quidditch stands, slightly disappointed she didn't get to see Potter pull his dangerous stunts. She convinced herself it's because she wanted to see him crash, of course. She would never notice his lack of presence and feel like something was missing, of course.


	3. Drei: The Prank

The next few days, Harry powered through the potion instructions and started bringing Gabrielle along to his early breakfasts. They had both managed to finish collecting and mixing in ingredients for the potion, so they used this time to eat and of course, snog.

Daphne was having trouble concentrating on her second Lord of the Rings book. She kept getting an eyeful of Harry snogging that blonde slag. In fact, she did not know why she was upset. It never occurred to her that she could have simply sit on the other side of the table and ignore them, or cast a Silencio spell.

She thought to herself during a Friday morning. _Why am I so bothered that she's here? Is it because she interrupts our quiet morning time? Wait did I just say OUR? There's no way I could even stand Potter. I'm not including him in my routine, he's just a pest. It must be because she's so loud and their snogging is hard to miss. It's distracting!_

That morning, Daphne raced off to read in the Quidditch Pitch, hoping Potter and his whore would appear and fly around. This time, she hoped someone else would fall off the broom.

The new couple, Harrielle as the school now called them, was going over to collect the finished potion from the girls' loo. Before flasking two vials for the potion, however, they of course made out in one of the stalls. They were a young and passionate couple, after all.

"Harry," Gabrielle said after they caught their breath, "I know we met under weird conditions, but I'm glad I met you."

"I'm happy too Gabby. I'm still sorry about hearing you pee though. I know it was probably creepy of me."

"Well Harry, you're welcome to anytime now. It does sound strangely erotic," she said with a seductive smile, only half-joking. She was French, after all.

A/N: Shots fired at the French, fight me.

Harry merely blushed and turned his attention to the potion to prevent further teasing from his girlfriend. He filled two vials of his special potion and cast anti-shatter charms before hiding them in his pocket.

"Let's go Gabby, we have to find the kitchens. Fred and George said they'd be somewhere by a fruit painting in the dungeons."

Gabrielle nodded and searched with Harry for an hour before they finally found the painting. It didn't help at all that every abandoned corner turned into a snogging corner.

When they entered, Harry was hugged by an overly excited elf. "Master Harry has returned! He is truly a good wizard! And he has brought a mistress! How good it is to serve you also!"

Harry turned red at the praise and implications, but introduced Gabrielle nonetheless. "This is my beautiful girlfriend, Gabrielle."

That earned him a kiss on the cheek. "Hello Dobby, I'm Gabrielle as Harry said. Nice to meet you!"

"Great choice master Potter! She's a keeper." Both of them blushed at this. "So master Harry, how can I serve you today?"

"Don't call me 'master' Dobby, and I do need a small favor." He passed Dobby the two vials of potion.

"What shall I do with these master-" he faltered under Harry's gaze. "I mean Harry Potter?"

"Well Dobby, I need you to slip this into two people's drinks, undetected."

"Whose drink is to be the target Harry?" Dobby never questioned the Great Harry Potter's potion's effects.

"Well you see…" He whispered the names into Dobby's bat ears, and earned himself a smile from the elf. Gabrielle pouted in the background as she still hasn't been told the targets.

Harry thanked Dobby for his help and turned to Gabrielle, seeing her pout. "Don't worry love, you'll see who gets pranked during breakfast today. Let's go, everyone should be in the hall by now. Gabrielle's mood lightened considerably and she skipped off to the Great Hall with Harry, waiting to see the twins' and his pranking genius combine.

* * *

"Blimey Harry! There you are! I know you've gotten yourself the prettiest witch in the school but that doesn't mean you have to ignore your best mates. I've only seen you at dinner! Even then you sat with her lot! If anything you could try to introduce me to Fleur!"

Hermione nodded, giving her silent approval of Ron's words until his last sentence which resulted in her slapping him on the back of the head.

Harry didn't seem to notice the last line as his face dropped as the guilt of ignoring his only friends sunk in. "Sorry guys… I'll make it up to you though! I'll sit here and you can see the show."

His friends looked at him in confusion as he sat next to them, leaving Gabrielle sitting on the other side next to a brightly blushing Neville. Only Hermione noted this and giggled. She was shushed by Harry who was watching Snape enter the room.

"And now we wait…" Harry said mysteriously as Snape sat down to eat his breakfast. As Snape lifted his goblet to his mouth, Harry felt a hand squeeze his and he shared a knowing smile with Gabrielle.

"Ron, Hermione, get ready to see the greatest prank since the Marauders roamed the halls of Hogwarts." Ron and Hermione did not even have time to react as Snape and Malfoy glowed in a bright light and began to change.

* * *

Saturday mornings were Daphne Greengrass's day off from her rigorous awakening times throughout the week. While she liked to tell herself that it was to avoid the practicing Quidditch teams (the Gryffindors particularly), those close to her, well, her only friend Tracey Davis, knew she was just lazy when she could be. Tracey, who was the polar opposite of Daphne in the sense that she woke up late during the week but enjoyed fresh morning air on the weekends, had just returned from waltzing through the castle grounds. Unfortunately for Daphne, Tracey was her alarm clock on the weekends and the cold air had driven Tracey inside earlier than usual.

Excessive energy swept through Tracey, as she had not fully paraded around the lake due to the cold, resulting in an overly playful Tracey Davis entering the Slytherin 4th year girls' dorms. When she saw Daphne sleeping face-down, as her developing curves still allowed her to do that, Tracey's wicked grin reserved only for pranking etched itself on her face. In a literal flash, Daphne had been hit by a stinger in the bum. Unfortunately for Tracey, Daphne slept on top of her wand.

"Stupefy!"

* * *

Tracey awoke to the sight of a fully dressed Daphne Greengrass brushing her hair on the edge of her bed. Only the absence of the outer layer of robes was any indication of the weekend; her tie and skirt were always sharp, no matter the day.

"We're going to breakfast now, get up," Daphne said nonchalantly.

"But I still haven't showered or done my ha-" whined Tracey.

"You waking me up with a stinging hex is your idea of a joke. This is mine." Daphne deadpanned, casually sheathing her wand without looking in Tracey's direction. "We're going."

Tracey reluctantly followed, muttering something that sounded like "you slag..."

Daphne walked ahead with a smirk on her face until she reached the common room, where it became a sort of mask. Inwardly, she continued to smile. She loved her best friend's company.

SPACER

By the time Daphne and Tracey arrived at the entrance to the Great Hall, the former was regretting having woken up while the latter had regained her good mood, despite her frizzy and unkempt hair.

"Cheer up Daphne, you have no right to be mad. It's not like your hair is going to scare off every boy in the school," Tracey said with an exaggerated pout.

Daphne snorted at that and replied, "It's not like any of them are worth it. They're all such-"

Any vulgar remark by Daphne was cut off by a roar of laughter from inside the Great Hall. Excited by the prospects of a Weasley prank (which Tracey secretly admired) she pulled Daphne into the Great Hall into a spectacle that would never be forgotten.

Daphne and Tracey's head of house's robes burned away to reveal the man in a crop-top t-shirt. Worse still, he seemed to have more cleavage than most of the Hogwarts girls (excluding Susan Bones) and seemed to have developed feminine curves. Daphne stared in shock at her potion master's chest and seeming paralysis. Tracey was laughing her head off along with a Gryffindor, who was the nearest person to her. It seemed the potions professor was able to unite the houses for a brief time, albeit because he was universally hated.

While Snape fumbled around, searching for his robes which contained a bezoar at all times, Daphne noticed the blonde Slytherin ponce, Draco Malfoy, undress himself at the Slytherin table, unbeknownst to everyone. He was, however, noticed as soon as he screamed at the top of his lungs, while still in his underwear, "SNAPE YOU LOOKIN FINE GIRL!"

After that, the event slowed down in Daphne's eyes. She saw as Draco jumped over assorted breakfast items, knocking over pumpkin juice on some shocked 7th years, and ran up to the staff table. Even headmaster Dumbledore lowered his wand in shock as Draco Malfoy proceeded to begin twerking on the potion master. Tracey fell on the floor in tears as Snape, though it could be noted that the actions looked extremely involuntary, grabbed onto Draco, grinded, and took off his crop top, revealing a black bra. At this, Professor McGonnagall decided it was enough and conjured a giant smokescreen in front of the entire staff table, presumably to deal with the situation.

The students laughed for a full minute after that, and Tracey was able to regain her composure and straighten herself up beside Daphne. She yelled something at her friend, but the noise level made anything nearly incomprehensible.

Eventually, the noise and chaos died down and students went about a regular breakfast with a completely different conversation topic. Daphne and Tracey sat at the Slytherin table and nibbled at some food. Eventually Tracey asked, "Who do you think did it? That prank was legendary! How do you think they did it? Do you think they used-"

Daphne interrupted her by saying, "Tracey, no one knows who did it. I'll admit it made me chuckle a little, that blonde ponce deserved it, but is it worth getting expelled?" As she said this, she looked over at where the Weasley Twins sat… and saw them shaking the hands of Harry Potter and a blonde Frenchie. Daphne smirked a bit as she had just figured out the culprit.

"Tracey, I think I know who it was…"

"Who was it Daphne? Tell me!"

She didn't even have to answer as the twins hoisted Harry and Gabrielle onto their shoulders and shouted, "All hail Harry Potter, mastermind of this prank, conqueror of the French girls, and our new apprentice!"

The Great Hall erupted into cheers (and groans from the Slytherins) and started a chant of "Harry! Harry!" As the Hall swarmed with excitement, mail owls delivered their parcels. Daphne's snowy owl, Apollo, dropped Daphne's mail on top of the table and flew off in pursuit of a certain snowy female owl. Daphne immediately noticed her mail, after all, her owl was one of a kind, and opened a letter from her mother. As she read it amidst the chaos, she became paler and paler, and eventually stormed out of the hall, leaving a very confused Tracey who was debating celebrating or chasing after her friend.


	4. Vier: Who Killed the Rumor Mill?

After the legendary prank, Hogwarts descended into one of its rare periods of stillness. Of course, Harry Potter was punished with two weeks of detentions - which, in his opinion, were totally worth it - but other than that none of the typical troublemakers seemed intent to prank anytime soon. Peeves had been caught sleeping in a corridor; this was a first in Hogwarts history, partly because the poltergeist was hyperactive but mostly because most people though ghosts couldn't sleep.

Similarly, the infamous Hogwarts rumor mill was at an all time low when it came to producing interesting stories. While the occasional girl would giggle along with Lavender Brown about how she had seen Seamus or some other guy drool over Susan Bones, rumors were nowhere near the level of juiciness from the previous three years. It seemed the only rumor that had widespread circulation involved Harry Potter, Gabrielle Delacour, and a broom closet. Even then, most of the Hogwarts students did not care nor want to hear about Potter's love life anymore.

The stillness in the castle was unnerving to most. Students felt the palpable tension in the air and did not wander out at night. Even the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students sensed the changing atmosphere and shuffled quickly to their respective carriage or ship. During these weeks, when not a single prank was played (even by the Weasleys), only three students remained oblivious: a Gryffindor, a Slytherin, and a young French Veela.

SPACER

The past three weeks had been the best in Harry Potter's life. He had enjoyed flying with Ron, studying with Hermione (somehow), snogging his girlfriend, sneaking to the kitchens, playing Chess with Ron, and most importantly, snogging his girlfriend. He had remained oblivious to the mood of the castle and had been carefree, mostly because of Gabrielle. Ron and Hermione for the most part remained happy, but after two weeks of uneventfulness they shared uneasy glances as if they expected something terrible to happen.

On one of the quieter days, when Harry was taking Gabrielle flying on his Firebolt, Ron and Hermione sat in the common room, the former waiting for Hermione to finish so she could help him with his and the latter hard at work. However, Hermione uncharacteristically sighed and looked up from her work at Ron. Before Ron could mention the interruption from her work, Hermione asked, "Ron? Don't you feel as if something bad is about to happen?"

He looked startled at first but gave a knowing nod. "Yes, it does seem a little too quiet all of a sudden, like the calm before a storm."

Hermione inwardly smiled. Since Harry had been constantly off with Gabrielle, Ron was forced to spend more time around Hermione which had drastically improved his grades and made him more thoughtful and analytical. His analytical skills always bubbled beneath the surface, after all, he was a chess prodigy, but Hermione's constant prodding and Dean's unwillingness to venture out into the castle had forced him to break through his thick skull and apply his strategizing to real-life events.

"I know Ron. It's just… I don't want anything to happen to Harry, he deserves moments of happiness like these, even if we aren't always included."

Ron detected the bitter undertone and and put a comforting arm around Hermione. Strangely enough, neither of them felt anything more that friendly or even familiar comfort from the other, probably due to the fact that they had both recognized during their many Harry-free sessions that they didn't have that chemistry.

"He might have Gabrielle, but we'll always be there for him and he knows it. All three of us need each other, and that's never gonna change," added Ron.

The pair sat there in companionable silence for a while, but returned to the assignment at hand. Notably, Ron began to peruse through the books Hermione had already finished and had left on the table. An hour later, when Hermione was already finished, she had expected to have to help Ron but saw him struggling through on his own. She smiled, finally she was getting through one of her friends' thick skulls. After Ron had finished, though it took notably longer, Hermione happily offered to look it over, which Ron readily accepted.

"Well done Ron, this is much better than anything else you've written. However, you confused the Radham theory of repelling charms with his theory on shield charms."

Ron smiled at Hermione's praise while looking slightly sheepish at his mistake, and took back the essay in order to make revisions. However, at that moment, Neville Longbottom ran down the stairs calling out to the two with surprising alarm for the normally shy boy. "Ron! Hermione! Come quick. Harry is calling for you two from the dormitory window."

Hermione wondered what Harry could want, but a quick Tempus spell showed her it was way past curfew. _He probably forgot his cloak and wants to be let in_ , she thought to herself with a shake of her head. She pulled Ron up the stairs and into the dormitory where Neville stepped awkwardly to the side.

"Come on Neville, we might need your help too."

Neville looked at her in shock, partly because no one ever needed him and partly because the girl grabbed him by the arm and dragged him in, causing him to blush beet red, unbeknownst to Hermione.

"Must you be so violent with my arm Her-" Ron's protest was cut in half as he saw a frantic Harry knocking on the window. Ron burst out into laughter as Neville chuckled silently and Hermione suppressed a grin.

Harry, however, did not look very amused at the predicament he was in. He continues frantically pounding on the window while holding on tightly to his Firebolt. His friends continued to laugh at his misfortune; even Neville did not make a step towards the window. Eventually, Harry took out his wand and aimed it at the window, having seen Filch starting his outer castle rounds.

His friends heard a muffled "Bombarda" as the window shattered into dust, coating his friends with colored powder. Laughing abruptly ceased as powder filled their orifices.

"Serves you guys right for not being good friends and opening the window," said Harry with a smirk. Ron and Neville tried to glare at him, but eventually couldn't hold it in and burst into laughter once again, this time along with Harry.

Hermione, however, was not amused and cast a cleaning charm on herself to dust herself off and left the room with an unladylike grunt, angry at the fact that her charm hadn't affected the dust in her hair. She could be heard throughout the common room muttering something that sounded suspiciously like stupid, irresponsible boys.

The three friends laughed at the look on Hermione's face before the dust mysteriously began repairing itself into a proper window. Upon seeing this, the three boys turned around to look at the doorway, their smiles evaporating instantly at the sight of their Head of House.

The normally composed professor was livid, and she yelled at Harry with an unprecedented ferocity. "What were you thinking young man? I HEARD AN EXPLOSION FROM MY TOWER AND I THOUGHT SOMEONE HAD BEEN HURT! That will be fifty points from Gryffindor and detention for two weeks with me. How could you be so irresponsibly childish and immature. I expect to see you tomorrow at seven o'clock sharp."

She left the three sheepish boys in the dormitory stunned as she walked out. Even though the woman had nearly suffered a heart attack from the explosion, she grinned a little. The boy was growing up to be so much like his father, even if that could be a whole more paperwork for her. She sighed, Hogwarts was going to be an interesting place with a new Marauder on the loose. He'd already blown up a window, something his father hadn't done until his sixth year.

* * *

"I told you he'd be a troublemaker darling! He's already broken the window that I didn't break until sixth year," James told his irritated wife with a smirk that annoyed his wife even beyond the grave.

"James Potter, our son has just done something highly irresponsible and should know better. Personally I'm glad his friend Hermione is there to knock some sense into him."

"She's just like you dear, but mark my words Harry will make a Marauder out of her."

Lily sighed and hid a smile had threatened to escape as she was reminded of her old school memories. Harry was finally living his life and being a normal teenager, and

though she was loathe to admit it to her husband, she was proud of her son from beyond the other side of the veil.

* * *

"Students of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang, you may or may not know this, but tomorrow is the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. You will all be escorted towards the stands tomorrow after breakfast. Wear something warm, as it will be chilly… at first." The headmaster's eyes twinkled as he said this last bit, though only one champion understood the implication.

Daphne Greengrass was oblivious to the Headmaster's hidden meaning and sighed in relief. The bloody school was being too normal and it was driving her insane. Tracey wouldn't stop pestering her to get a boyfriend (though Tracey had been lacking one since first year) and if she had to listen to Pansy say that she shagged Malfoy one more time she'd cast a sticking charm between her legs.

Her thoughts drifting towards the task, Daphne looked over at Victor Krum, who seemed to emanate an aura of cockiness and wore a smirk. She wouldn't put it past him and his Death Eater headmaster to have cheated to know the task. Her intuition was usually spot on.

Next she looked at Cedric, who, she had to admit, looked quite handsome. However, unlike Krum, Cedric looked visibly nervous at the aspect of the next day's task. Similarly to Cedric, Fleur looked visibly worried though she tried to hide it. What she found the strangest was that Potter's little Veela slag, as most of the Slytherins (and most of the girls in the castle) called Gabrielle, seemed glued to her sister and seemed to have unlatched herself from Potter.

She smirked inwardly at this; the two had been pestering her mornings by being loud in the Great Hall on some weekends and making a habit of being loud on the Quidditch pitch while she was trying to read. It seemed that the "Golden-Silver" couple wasn't really that close anymore (though they might have been still stuck at the lips).

* * *

Daphne was spot on in her analysis of the couple. Harry and Gabrielle had been drifting apart as the deadline for the first task grew overbearingly close. Gabrielle had been off spending more and more time with her sister, attributing it to "just a feeling I should be close to her for some reason."

Harry, of course, understood her reasoning but was irked slightly every time she blew him off to go with her sister. Those days he spent laughing in the common room with Ron or studying with Hermione. Neville had been a surprising addition as he had trained the shy boy into a decent enough flyer after he had asked for help one day. The wedge between Harry and Gabrielle was undeniable, yet only his closest friends noticed.

Harry and Gabrielle kept up appearances by snogging in crowded corridors as usual; however, it was becoming as boring to them as it was for the rest of Hogwarts. Not even Lavender Brown spoke of it anymore.

It bothered Harry to be part of a dwindling relationship, as he had not experienced those emotions before when it came to girls. It was increasingly difficult but he tried to make it work as best he could though his feelings for her were diminishing every day.

On the other side of the spectrum, Harry was no longer a priority for Gabrielle. Though she cared for him deeply on the inside, she was more worried about her sister and, to tell the truth, snogging was getting boring as well. Gabrielle prioritized her sister as more important, mostly due to a feeling of dread when she thought of her. She was, after all, the reason she was at Hogwarts in the first place.

Gabrielle pondered everything from Harry to the connection to her sister while laying next to Fleur. She had done it as an act of support as she knew her sister was nervous for the first task. Her last thoughts before drifting to sleep all consisted of imaginary scenarios for the first task, none of them good.


	5. Fuenf: The First Task

Harry, Hermione, and Ron sat together in the stands and waited in anticipation as the crowds began filling in. Gabrielle was nowhere in sight, though Harry presumed she was in the Champions' tent with her sister. Unbeknownst to Harry, Gabrielle would not be joining him as she would be attending the performance with her mother and father along with the judges.

The stands filled quickly, a beautiful mix of blue, green, orange, and yellow, and as soon as the entrances were sealed off four men entered the arena, one sporting the trademark fiery Weasley hair. They levitated enormous eggs of some kind onto a nest and snuck in a golden egg which gleamed in the Scottish (though influenced by the Hogwarts wards) sun.

"Bloody hell!" yelled Ron in order to make himself heard to his companions in the roaring crowd. "If Charlie is here… then that means-"

The next moment would be forever remembered in Hogwarts a History. A massive red dragon was unleashed into the arena, restrained only by a chain. It spewed fire into the air and positioned itself by the nest of eggs. The crowds went silent as they realized the danger of the first task.

"This is ridiculous!" Hermione exclaimed. "It takes at least four experienced dragon tamers to calm a dragon. I read that they are rated XXXXX on our Care of Magical Creatures book. I don't know how they expect one champion that is still at school to-"

Hermione's rant was interrupted by the booming voice of Ludo Bagman. "Wizards and witches of England, Bulgaria, and France; we welcome you today to the first task of the Triwizard tournament. For this first task the champion will have to face a different dragon and retrieve the golden egg from the nest without harming the dragon or the eggs. This is truly a test of bravery and quick-thinking, but I assure that the champions will be as safe as possible; we have seven dragon tamers ready to step in in case of emergency. Now, without further ado let us commence the task with Viktor Krum starting the competition!"

A cannon blast resonated throughout the stadium, followed by a pop which forced many to change the pressure in their ears, signifying a one-way silencing ward was set up. All eyes turned momentarily to Dumbledore, who merely smiled and sat down. The center of attention was then shifted to the Durmstrang champion who entered the arena through the massive gates on the other side.

The dragon, already irritated by a cannon blast and plentiful noise from the crowd, locked onto its target with increased hostility; the dragon was not going to let a puny human near her eggs. Before Krum could fire a spell, the Chinese Fireball breathed out an inferno, forcing the champion to cower behind a rock. The audience was stunned that even someone as tough as Krum was forced into such a position; his shaking hands alerted everyone to the fact that he was completely unprepared. Apparently, the giant squid in the lake was not the first task.

The dragon sent another searing flame at the rock, heating it enough for Krum to burn the hand he had placed against it but serving to annoy the hotheaded Seeker. As the flame died off, Krum stepped out from behind the rock and fired a salvo of spells at the dragon. The spells were obviously lethal but bounced off the dragon's hide and towards the audience, forcing the headmaster to erect a giant shield around the arena, draining his immense magical core only slightly.

Krum and the dragon faced off for several minutes, with Krum adapting a style of guerilla warfare by hiding behind rocks and coming out to attempt to hit the dragon's eyes, which were a very small target. Unfortunately, Krum began to tire and his reflexes wavered, thus the dragon was able to roast his left arm to a crisp. Krum, infuriated and immune to the pain due to adrenaline, transfigured the rocks in front of him into one giant pointed rock and sent it hurling at the dragon. The dragon's scales mostly protected it, but the rock managed to open a dent in its belly to reveal exposed flesh. The dragon was unable to do anything, as its fire stomach had been significantly depleted, and Krum, driven by rage and wanting revenge for his now-useless arm, yelled out a final curse.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" he screamed as a green light the size of a boulder left his wand and hit the dragon in its exposed stomach, killing it instantly. Krum gave a sadistic laugh before collapsing from magical and physical exhaustion.

The crowd was in chaos. Frantic whispers and not-so-subtle comments were heard about the champion's use of an Unforgivable. Ludo Bagman was forced to make a statement.

"While Mr. Krum showed exceptional magical ability, he failed in his task to retrieve the golden egg as well as killing the dragon, which was against the purpose of this task. His use of an Unforgivable will be pardoned, though not condoned, as Mr. Krum was fearing for his life though his life, of course, was not in danger thanks to our security measures. As such, the consequences will be that he will receive zero points in this task, as per the decision of all the judges. No further legal consequences will be received. That is all."

Amidst the chaos, no one noticed seven teary-eyed dragon tamers haul off the magnificent beast off of the arena, and replace the eggs for the next competition. Anyone who did pay attention would have seen the reluctance of the dragon tamers to send out the next dragon onto the arena.

"This is barbaric, I don't understand why anyone would want to see this tournament." stated Hermione.

"Yes, he did use excessive force, then again he did lose an arm to the dragon." responded Harry.

Ron however, was looking for his brother Charlie. He knew how much his brother loved dragons. "Poor Charlie," he said to himself, "he really does love dragons. This must be destroying him"

Then, in old-Ron fashion, Ron remarked, "Do you think Krum can still be a Seeker with a burned arm?"

Ignoring Ron's remark, Hermione exclaimed, "This is all so real now Harry! You could have been out there fighting a dragon if the Goblet had not caught the mistake!"

Harry smiled weakly, though on the inside he was greatly thankful to the spirit of the Goblet. "Yes… I bet no one expected the tournament to be this brutal though. If not, we wouldn't be watching it. The teachers themselves look to be horrified. Unfortunately, the exits are sealed until the end of the event."

"Yes," Hermione whispered to herself, mentioning something about Romans and barbarism.

Their thoughts were interrupted by a booming voice. "Ladies and gentlemen, your Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory!"

The cannon rang throughout the arena and the handsome half-blooded champion stepped out of the gates, noticeably worried.

Cedric Diggory looked upon the face of the Swedish Short Snout he would be facing, and upon seeing the size of its nostrils an idea popped into his head. Of course, his musing was interrupted by a tendril of flames, arguably weak compared to the Fireball's but lethal nonetheless.

Behind the very same rock Krum hid behind, Cedric concentrated on his plan and began transfiguring something on the floor with his wand.

Many people knew Cedric was a powerful wizard, but not many knew how interested he was in the innovations of muggles, particularly in the aspect of war. His grandmother had told him stories of the Second Great Muggle War, something most wizards did not even acknowledge. Cedric was intrigued by innovations of tanks, planes, cars, but most importantly of the creative ways Muggles found of killing each other. He recognized that the Wizarding world was ill-equipped compared to the Muggle World, and he planned to incorporate Muggle science and begin his very own company that incorporated Muggle science and magic. Most of his designs were for creation, not destruction, of course, but the Triwizard tournament forced him to study some of the designs and chemistries of the Muggle wars in order to give himself an edge. As soon as he had seen the size of the dragon's nostrils, he had known the only way he would bypass its defenses.

As his creation began to take shape, some Muggleborns and Half-bloods gasped at the gas being transfigured in midair. Cedric had used a Bubblehead charm and was guiding the dark yellow-green gas into an unstable sphere.

Hermione gasped in horror as she recognized the color of the gas from her Muggle History textbooks. "He's going to poison the dragon with lethal gas!" she exclaimed.

He hesitated, knowing the dragon would suffer if he sent the poison at her. Even if it was angry, he did not enter the tournament to kill. However, after a mighty roar from the dragon, he guided the gas towards it with a frantic wave of his wand, terrified that the dragon would attack him head-on.

The poor dragon did not even have time to react as the container exploded before her and released a gas which burned the insides of her nose and knocked her out. Fortunately, the dosage was not enough to cause irreparable harm and as soon as it became apparent that the dragon would not wake up on its own, the dragon tamers ran into the arena and conjured up a huge magical stretcher to levitate the dragon onto before taking it to a dragon specialist outside the arena. Cedric morbidly approached the golden egg and grabbed it, before walking out of the stadium without acknowledging the roaring crowd.

"I must say, that was unconventional." commented Harry.

"Yeah, what was that Hermione?" asked a confused Ron.

Hermione replied with a grim face. "That was a deadly invention of the Muggles from World War 2. I don't know why he used it, but fortunately, I doubt it will kill the dragon. There are stories of Muggles who survived, though not in a good condition. What worries me the most is how this tournament is bringing out the cruelty and desperation of such a kind person as Cedric."

Harry agreed with the end of her statement while Ron was still confused. "There were Muggle wars?" he asked.

"I'll explain some other time Ron, they were truly horrifying and what Cedric did will probably scar him as he realizes what he created in his desperation. This tournament is truly barbaric."

Ludo Bagman was noticeably less upbeat about the Tournament. He was not expecting such violence and expected more of a show of creativity. He hoped the Beauxbatons champion would add grace to the competition and reduce the cruelty and desperation in the attacks, as he was sure to get angry letters from many parents of traumatized children. He, along with two of the other judges, was regretting having hosted this tournament with such a bloody history in a modern world.

As the final dragon, which looked surprisingly vicious in his opinion, was entered into the arena, Bagman announced, "And now, it is time for our final champion, the beautiful and talented Fleur Delacour!"

The audience noticed his less-than-enthusiastic tone and cheered less excitedly than ever. Harry looked for Gabrielle as she had to have come up from the champions' tent by then. He spotted her sitting near Dumbledore in the stands to his right. He tried to catch her eye and say something encouraging, but she sat and watched the arena in horror while clutching the hands of a man and woman who Harry presumed to be her parents.

Fleur entered the arena and stared at the massive beast she would be facing. She, like her fellow champions, was unprepared and terrified. There was a moment of silence as the dragon and witch stared at each other. Fleur noticed the sharp spikes and dark complexion on the dragon's face. She was no expert, but this dragon seemed more dangerous than the other two.

The fight began similarly to the other fights, as the dragon breathed fire and Fleur hid behind the rock, however, the rock began to melt and she was forced to run to a nearby rock before her shelter gave way. The dragon, having exerted itself melting the rock, did not notice Fleur move closer and hammered away at the face of the rock until it was completely molten.

As soon as Fleur got too close, it seemed she triggered an alarm of sorts. The dragon went rigid as it smelled her, and realized she had Veela blood.

If anyone had researched the relationships between Veela and Hungarian Horntails, Fleur would have fought a different dragon. However, it was too late before Fleur's mother connected the dots.

Centuries ago, Veela had destroyed the homes of the Hungarian Horntails and used their sacred land as a sanctuary. A war had ensued and the Veela, through their tremendous numbers and powers, had nearly driven the dragons to extinction, forcing them away from their native land of France. The remaining dragons fled to Hungary and evolved from ordinary (as ordinary as a dragon can get) dragons into spiked menaces due to the harsher environment. From that day on, any time a Veela entered their limited smelling range, the dragons erupted into a rage that was never documented by wizards, as the Veela kept this as a guarded secret of their dark past.

Harry heard a shriek of horror as he saw Fleur's mother desperately beckon to Dumbledore to stop the contest, but was drowned out by an explosion as the dragon roared loudly enough to topple any standing audience members. Fire engulfed the sky in the shape of a mushroom cloud as its tail changed to blue in color due to the excessive heat. Before any dragon tamer or even Dumbledore could react, the dragon broke through the chain and lunged at the boulder that Fleur was behind, creating a flaming crater fifty feet in diameter and engulfing everything inside in white flame.

The entire audience screamed, but Harry could have sworn he specifically only heard Gabrielle's shriek.


	6. Sechs: Departure of the Chariot

Green curtains and a tangled mass of limbs shaken awake everyone in the Slytherin 4th year girls' dorm, or they would have, if anyone had been able to successfully accumulate an ounce of sleep. Truth be told, all four girls had been traumatized at seeing a girl not much older than them be brutally obliterated from existence. The four girls were Slytherins and had to keep a tough outward appearance, but on the inside, they were still just regular fourteen-year-old girls.

Daphne Greengrass had not shown much outward emotion at the time of the incident; the blonde Slytherin had barely joined the panic, though, inwardly, she was in shock. After the incident, the headmaster had quickly obscured the scene from view and announced that the arena was to be vacated as soon as possible without panic. Daphne, in a rare show of public emotion, cried out to and found her sister and led her away towards the common room, giving her sister comfort as she cried from the traumatic images. Daphne and her sister rarely saw eye to eye; her sister was normally sassy and cunning, but an experience such as the First Task called upon their familial bond.

The flailing limbs belonged to none other than Tracey Davis, Daphne's best and (if she was honest with herself) only friend. No words of comfort were spoken, but Daphne, Millicent, and Pansy "Puggy" Parkinson secretly looked at the top of their beds, wishing for sleep to sweep them away while being on the verge of a breakdown similar to Tracey's.

Eventually, though it took about four hours, all four girls drifted off into sleep, not finding much comfort in their dreams which held terrors catalyzed by the pain of reality.

* * *

Breakfast in the Great Hall the next day had been the emptiest and quietest in Hogwarts history. The Slytherin table appeared plastic for the most part as most students above third year sat with a blank stare and exchanged pleasantries with forced smiles. The other three houses were a lot more expressive in their interactions. The tables were only about halfway full, consisting of people ranging from crying first years to traumatized seventh years. Curiously enough, Cedric Diggory was absent from the Hufflepuff table, along with the entirety of the Durmstrang students.

Daphne Greengrass sat flanked by her sister, who was holding her hand under the table, and Tracey, who was staring at her bacon. Daphne merely looked around the Great Hall and observed people's reactions to the previous day. She felt sorry for many of those who had been traumatized, especially the younger students. Daphne almost felt a pang of pity for the Golden Trio, who sat with their heads low.

The Great Hall went silent as the doors slammed open to reveal a teenage witch in a black dress, who entered the Hall quickly and headed towards the Gryffindor table. The only professor on duty, Professor Vector, quietly watched the unfolding scene but did not interfere as most of her fellow teachers were dismantling the arena and dealing with mail from concerned parents to help the overburdened headmaster. The girl approached Hogwarts's arguably most unfortunate student and spoke to him in a low voice. Naturally, the whole Hall was able to hear as everyone had quieted down upon the witch's entrance.

Gabrielle Delacour looked terrible. Her eyes were red enough to be seen across the hall. Her hair was very obviously undone and looked like a raven's nest. Her black dress was obviously put on in a carefree manner as it was slightly lopsided. Harry Potter looked at the girl and pulled her into a hug, which she quickly pulled away from. With tears in her eyes, she began her painful speech.

"Harry, these past few weeks have been some of the happiest I have had, but I cannot be with you anymore. In fact, I cannot be anywhere near Britain any more. The painful memory of my sister will persist as long as I get near this place. Harry, I know we didn't get to spend much time together these past weeks, but I do not regret it. My priority will always be family first. I thank you for being so patient and tolerant for me, but it is time we part ways. Goodbye Harry, please don't try to ask for me in the carriages."

With that, she ran out of the Great Hall barely restraining tears as she disappeared into the castle. Harry Potter was left dumbstruck at first, but slowly he stood up, said goodbye to his friends, and left the Great Hall with numerous eyes upon him. He did not even acknowledge the stares and trudged out of the Hall silently. This time, Daphne did feel an ounce of pity for the boy who was both traumatized and heartbroken.

* * *

The week following the dragon incident, as most had taken to calling it, had been depressing at first but slowly morphed into routine. A memorial was held in Fleur's honor halfway throughout the week. Many students reported skeletal horses flying through the air. The dragons had been swiftly returned to Romania at the first opportunity. Classes restarted and homework once again piled up, though most teachers, except Snape, were slightly lenient. Daphne Greengrass had tried to reinstate her regular routine and read in the Quidditch stands, though most of the time she barely registered a word that she read. Luckily for her, Astoria was returning to her usual cheery albeit sassy self, which removed a burden from her shoulders.

Daphne made her way to her usual spot in the Quidditch stands and opened up her book for another day of pretending that her life was normal. The first Saturday since the incident seemed a perfect day to finally come to terms with her trauma and carry on, but Daphne's luck was never that kind to her.

She spotted a lone figure on a broomstick hovering about twenty feet from the ground. She noticed the kind of broom, a Firebolt, which left one possible identity for the broom rider. Instead of scoffing at his presence, she felt relieved that she could find a distraction and stared at him, hoping he would pull off a trick like a circus monkey. However, he just seemed to be floating in one location and toppling dangerously, which was unlike the Gryffindor seeker. (Though she was loathe to admit it, he was a classy flyer).

A glint of blue and gold caught her eye in the distance. The Beauxbatons chariot was taking off, never to return to Hogwarts. The chariot approached the Quidditch field but flew at a distance, never invading the airspace. The chariot soon became uninteresting as it flew slowly in the air, and Daphne focused her eyes on a floating broom, erratically hovering in the air without a rider. Below the broom she could see Harry Potter hurtling towards the ground, arms flailing.

Luckily for Harry, Daphne had never quite enjoyed sitting on hard bleachers, and as such, was nearly a master of the cushioning charm. A split second reaction allowed her to shoot off a spell in order to cushion the ground below Harry, minimizing his injuries. Daphne sprinted down the stairs and into the grass to check upon the boy.

At that moment, house rivalries vanished from her mind and she thought only of not seeing another person die ever again. She wasn't doing it for the Golden Boy, she was doing it for a fellow wizard. She reached him and was instantly relieved to hear him groaning; he was still alive. On closer inspection, he had broken or sprained both of his legs and he seemed bruised everywhere else. Her cushioning charm had only prevented his internal organs from collapsing in on themselves. Quickly, as there was no one around, she levitated the poor boy and raced through the Halls to seek help, but when no one was found, she raced him off to the Hospital Wing herself.

She knocked on the doors and was met with a grumpy nurse which at first said, "Listen, if it's Fred and George asking for more headache potions, forget it, I'm not helping you if you test your products on yourselves."

However, she quickly paled when she saw the boy being levitated behind the girl with pleading blue eyes. "Not again, what did he do this time?" she muttered to herself before levitating him to a bed.

She turned to the worried blonde girl and said, "Thank you for bringing him to me. He always gets hurt, but he looks more hurt than usual. This could be more complicated, but luckily the blunt force trauma did minimal damage to his insides. Any more momentum, and he would have died instantly." she said, pointing to the boy. She had cast the spell silently.

"Thank you Miss..?"

"Greengrass."

"Well thank you Miss Greengrass for bringing him in. I'll work on him right away."

Daphne nodded and walked away, slightly relieved. She had been able to save someone's life and she thanked her quick thinking. She was glad that she didn't have to see anyone else die, even if it was the most obnoxious Gryffindor possible.


	7. Sieben: The Ginger Fox

Harry woke up feeling like he'd been run over by the Knight Bus. His entire body ached, but his legs felt as if they were on fire. He quickly determined his location as he recognized the smell of the sheets and the familiar walls of the Hospital Wing.

 _Here she comes,_ he thought to himself, mentally groaning. Sure enough, Madam Pomfrey exited her office and walked to his bedside carrying a green flask.

"Mr. Potter I do not know how you continue to end in my care. Not even your father ended up in the infirmary this many times in seven years. Aside from that, this is a pain relieving potion. I am sorely tempted to let your bones heal without it so you'd be more careful in the future, but I know you've had a rough few days. Once the potion wears off in roughly three hours, you should be good to go. I don't want you wandering off with two recently broken legs until the potion has finished. Otherwise, you'll find yourself embracing the floor."

That was a revelation to Harry. He did not remember much about anything leading to his injury. He only remembered hovering in the air looking at the vast Scottish countryside. His curiosity got the best of him and he asked the retreating Madam Pomfrey, "How did I get injured? I don't remember anything after hovering on my broom."

"You're very lucky Mister Potter. From what I could gather, you fell off your broom from quite a height. The only reason you are alive is because someone cast a cushioning charm on the floor, albeit weak. You really need to be more careful while you fly."

"I don't remember doing any stunts yesterday… Could you tell me who it was that saved me from falling? I should at least thank them."

"I'm sorry Mr. Potter, but it seemed to me your savior did not want much attention, so I believe it would be best for them to tell you, as it is not my place. However, I will tell you this: the person who rescued you was the person you'd least expect."

Harry was left to his thoughts as the matron returned to her office. Harry's mind scrambled for a reason for his fall and for the identity of his possible secret savior. Madam Pomfrey's hint echoed in his mind. He seriously hoped it hadn't been Malfoy, as he was the most unlikely candidate aside from Snakeface himself.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the loud entrance of Ron and Hermione into the Hospital Wing. They were relatively calm, however, as it had not been the first time McGonagall had send a student to inform them that Harry was in the Hospital Wing. Whether it was from Quidditch or a lousy potion between him and Ron, he visited the Hospital Wing on a regular basis. In fact, after his 100th visit, Madam Pomfrey set a plaque above his bed with his name engraved onto it.

Ron spoke first, with a bite of a sandwich already in his mouth. He had scooped up as much food as he could from the Great Hall before his visit. "Blimey Harry! I know you end up here every other week, but could you try to be more considerate and not have us rush over here early on a Saturday?" Ron joked.

Harry gave a slight grin but it did not reach his eyes. Truthfully, he was still sore both physically and emotionally, something which his female friend instantly caught on to. She quickly elbowed Ron in the ribs, causing him to choke on his sandwich, and asked, "Are you alright Harry? We were worried about you. What happened this time?"

Harry responded with the limited information that he had received from the matron.

"Apparently, I fell off my broom this morning and broke several of my bones. I would have died if a mysterious person hadn't saved me by cushioning my fall with a cushioning charm."

"Well we're lucky to still have you mate. Though I do wonder who this mysterious helper was. He couldn't have been a Slytherin, that's for sure," said Ron in a semi-serious tone.

An angry Hermione responded, "First of all, _Ronald_ , it could have been a she. Second of all, it could have possibly been a Slytherin. Not all of them are monsters, you know. In fact, you're probably just as bigoted as Malfoy!" She then turned to Harry and softened her expression a bit. "Sorry Harry, I'll see you later. Hope you get better."

She picked herself up and left the room, pointedly not looking at Ron. A confused Ron turned to Harry and asked, "What's gotten into her?"

Harry sighed and responded, "She's on edge… we all are. Seeing Fleur like that… well it affected all of us. Especially since Gabrielle-"

Luckily for the redhead with the emotional range of a teaspoon, Madam Pomfrey shooed him out of the infirmary so that Harry could take one last (but particularly foul) potion. "See ya mate, don't envy you. Do you reckon I should find Hermione or do you think she'll bite my head off to defend those snakes."

Harry didn't say anything and Ron awkwardly walked away from the bed and towards the door of the Infirmary. Before he exited, Harry called out to him.

"Ron, maybe you should be more accepting. They can't all be bad can they? If not there wouldn't be a Slytherin House." Madam Pomfrey smiled while facing the shelf where she was getting the potion. She had heard the entire conversation and deliberately slowed her movements in order to hear the Weasley's response.

Ron thought about it briefly as he hadn't expected that from his other friend. He gave a small smirk as he thought of a way to prove his point. "Tell you what mate. If you meet two friendly Slytherins I'll be nice to them and stop insulting them. You have until next month or you owe me some chocolate frogs."

With that, Ron left the threshold of the Infirmary and walked out with a strut in his step. He'd be getting some chocolate frogs _and_ proving his point to his friends.

Harry's thoughts on his sudden defense of the Slytherins were interrupted by Madam Pomfrey's approaching figure. She uncorked a vial with murky brown potion which smelled horrendous. "Mr. Potter, this is a bone strengthening potion. Drink up!" she said with a devious smile.

* * *

Harry was released from the Hospital Wing just in time for dinner. He sprinted to the Great Hall and sat between his two friends, who clearly did not want to sit together but knew he wouldn't want to join in their fight after a day in the Hospital Wing.

"Anything new happen today?" he asked, hoping to break the awkward silence.

"Well we have a Transfiguration paper and we have to read for History of Magic," answered Hermione.

Ron rolled his eyes at her response of academics. He replied, "Besides our bet, the only interesting thing has been the crazy rumors people spread about what happened to you. I know you may not like them, but some of the rumors gave me a good laugh."

"What rumors?" asked Harry and Hermione simultaneously.

"Well, some people theorized you had gotten into a duel and lost in the hallway," Ron ignored Harry's growing temper and continued, "but the best one by far was the theory that you had a one night-stand with Professor Snape and were afraid to leave the dungeons."

Harry and Hermione, along with many Gryffindors, went quiet before chuckles managed to escape. Soon after it became full-blown laughter at the absurdity of the accusation. Harry abandoned his anger and joined in on the laughter. Even Hermione couldn't keep a straight face and joined in on the laughter.

Eventually, everyone calmed down and Ron and Hermione seemed to lose some of their animosity. After getting himself under control, Harry asked Ron, "Did someone seriously spread that rumor, or are you messing with me?"

Ron smiled and said, "No, it was a legitimate rumor. Snape was in his office most of the day and was walking a little funny, though it could have been my imagination."

Harry chuckled and shook his head. The rumors that were spread around the school were borderline insane. He was beginning to think the legendary Hogwarts rumor mill was starting to go a bit barmy. Harry enjoyed his friends' company throughout the rest of dinner, and had even explained the bet to Hermione, earning him a promise that she would help him out however she could, much to Ron's chagrin.

As dinner came to a close, the entire Hall was surprised to see Dumbledore stand up and begin to address the student body. The entire Hall went silent when he raised up his hand and cast _Sonorus._

"It is my honor and privilege to announce that Hogwarts will still be hosting a Yule Ball this year despite the absence of our friends at Beauxbatons. Normally, the Ball would be announced in a week by your Heads of Houses, but in order to inspire a more festive mood, I have decided to let you know ahead of time. Additionally, we will be having a Hogsmeade visit in two weeks to allow ample time for preparation. Please note that anyone under 4th year may not attend unless accompanied by an older student to the ball."

Loud murmurs, quiet whispers, and aggravated complaints arose in the midst of Dumbledore's announcements. Many of the males groaned at the prospect of having to look for a date while a smaller quantity looked excited. The girls for the most part looked excited; of course, the third years were loudly complaining.

 _Well, it looks like my adventure this year will be finding a date,_ Harry thought to himself thinking of his previous adventures. _Maybe I'll miss the basilisk…_

* * *

A streak of red was observed flying through the sky a week after Dumbledore's announcement. While Harry Potter was wary of flying for a while after his falling incident, he had decided to continue flying in the mornings as usual. Unfortunately, some of his fan girls had found out about his flying and now flocked to the stands to observe him and hope that he would ask one of them to the ball.

Amongst the crowd of fangirls an annoyed blonde could be seen attempting to read a book and failing to erect a silence barrier due to the constant movement of the Unofficial Harry Potter Fan club led by none other than Ginny Weasley herself. She cursed Potter in her mind for inviting his fan club to intrude upon her personal reading time.

Harry Potter remained oblivious to the crowd below. He head learned to ignore crowds and had consciously ignored his fangirls' shouts since their arrival. It was obvious they only wanted bragging rights anyways. They wanted to go to the ball with a celebrity.

However, that did not stop him from executing fancy tricks and flying at unreasonable speeds on his Firebolt. He was showing off a bit, whether or not he admitted it to himself.

After executing a particularly complicated and dangerous Wronski Feint, he ended up stopping near the location where he had fallen from his broom. He subconsciously flashed back to the day of the carriage and he remembered exactly what had happened. Throughout the week he was preoccupied with dodging crazy fangirls and searching for a girl to ask to the ball.

Try as he might, he could not remember the identity of his savior. He looked down at the stands and faintly saw a head of golden hair angrily stomping out of the stands. _That golden hair… where do I remember that from?_ he thought.

Suddenly, flashes of a conversation with an irritated Slytherin came to his mind. He remembered his practically invisible morning 'partner'. He saw her every morning but barely cast a glance in her direction. The more he thought about it, the more sure he was that it had been Daphne Greengrass who had saved his life; no one else ever frequented the Quidditch pitch in the mornings, especially in the dropping temperatures.

He spotted her quickly walking back into the castle and made a rash Gryffindor-esque decision: he followed her into the castle while still on his broom.

Daphne was already in the castle when she heard a whoosh and a thud behind her. She turned and saw, much to her surprise and displeasure, the Gryffindor Golden Boy sill atop his broom. To her annoyance, he called out to her and dismounted his broom to catch up to her.

"Hey! Greengrass right?"

"Yes, _Potter._ Glad to know you remember my last name after four years of classes. What do you want."

"Well you see…" he said while stuttering and mumbling under her glare, "I kind of wanted to ask you if-"

"I don't know or care what kind of illusions you're under Potter," interrupted Daphne, "but if you think you can ask me to the Ball just because you saw me sitting with your fangirls, you're demented beyond repair. You could be the bloody Minister for all I care, I will not be attending with men who are no better than pigs."

Harry tried to reign in his temper, but it was not an easy task. "Listen Greengrass," he growled with a glare that rivaled Daphne's own, "I wasn't bloody asking you to the ball and do not call me the Golden Boy. You don't know me or my story."

He managed to calm himself somewhat and continued. "I just came to thank you for saving me, assuming it _was_ you who did. You are the only person who was out in the mornings and I thought it could have been you, despite your house."

Daphne's anger somewhat subsided at the sincere apology. "Yes it was me. Yes I am a Slytherin, but I was not going to let someone die due to petty rivalries. I'm in Slytherin because I want to be, but that doesn't make me a monster. You don't owe me anything, just please don't spread it around."

"You have my word. I owe you though, is there anything you need?" Harry suddenly noticed her beauty once her anger had subsided and blushed slightly. He took in her medium-length golden hair, her delicate cheekbones, and her icy blue eyes that seemed to see right through him with the force of an ocean.

Daphne noticed but did not comment, and instead used his debt to try to get her reading spot back. "Well… you could make it up to me by getting rid of your fan club from the stands. They really are irritating when I try to read in this wonderful weather."

"I wouldn't call this weather wonderful, it's bloody cold. However, I'll do my best to get them out of the stands. You have my word."

"Thank you Potter. I'll hold you to it." She extended her hand to the Gryffindor in a businesslike manner.

As soon as she shook his hand she swiftly turned to walk down the hallway. She didn't want to be seen with a gryffindor, after all, lest rumors spread. Said Gryffindor, however, decided to act rashly and in a fit of bravery he blurted what was on his mind at her retreating figure. "You've got pretty hair Greengrass."

Unbeknownst to him, Daphne rolled her eyes. She replied with knowledge about the Potter family. "I thought you Potters went for the redheads, go fawn over Susan or something" she said before turning the corner.

* * *

James watched his son's attempt at a compliment and burst out laughing. Lily gave him a small smile.

"Looks like our boy won't be going after a redhead after all!"

"Indeed he won't, though I fear he will be rejected almost as many time as I rejected you James."

"I still got the beautiful maiden did I not?"

* * *

Hermione had just finished her fifth essay at the library and was packing up before a stranger came up behind her and tapped her on her shoulder. She turned and saw Neville standing shyly behind her. "Hey Neville, do you need something?" she asked.

"Well, I was going to ask if you'd fancy a walk by the lake," he managed to squeak out.

Hermione saw where he was going and smiled. "Sure Neville, I'd love to take a walk, let me just pack up my things."

Neville helped her pack up and offered to carry her bag, which greatly flattered Hermione. When they arrived by the lake, the pair noticed it was colder than what they were dressed for. Neville, having been raised by his grandmother well, offered Hermione his coat.

Hermione took the coat gratefully but asked, "Are you okay Neville? It's cold out here and you gave me your only layer of warmth."

Neville was shivering but seemed to be gathering his courage. Hermione could see it in his eyes that he was just about to say something important. Thus, she refrained from mentioning that she could cast a heating charm. She smiled inwardly at the boy who had gone to such lengths to make her feel special.

"Don't worry Hermione," he replied, "I'm okay as long as you're not cold. Speaking of which, I was wondering if you would… want to ball to the come me with?"

Hermione giggled at the boy's nervousness which made his face briefly fall, before she replied, "Of course i'll go to the ball with you Neville. You've been such a gentleman and I'm flattered that you asked me so early. Let's go back inside though, you're actually blue!"

Hermione pulled Neville closer and began to walk to the castle trying to warm him up along the way. Neville's face burned, despite the icy winds. Neville could not see it, but Hermione bore an even bigger smile.

* * *

Harry had been dreading his meeting with the head of the unofficial _Harry Potter Fan Club's_ formal leader: Ginny Weasley. He had put off the meeting for a week, but could no longer avoid the icy glares sent to him by a furious Slytherin who had been promised peace. Harry was a man of his word, but his Gryffindor courage left him whenever he thought of meeting the leader of his fan club. She was, after all, Ron's sister, and he didn't want to piss off his best mate. It also didn't help that Ginny kept trying to get his attention whenever she passed by him. The Yule Ball had inspired Gryffindor courage in her, much to the older Gryffindor's annoyance.

Had Harry thought out his plan more thoroughly, he would not have tried to confront Ginny alone. However, the daily glares from Greengrass were taking their toll on him. Being rushed, coupled with the fact that he would not involve Hermione into any of his plans involving Daphne lest he inspired teasing, led him to his ultimate plan of asking Ginny to go for a walk after a morning with particularly strong glares in his direction.

Harry hovered near the stands as the giggling fangirls whispered among themselves. Finally, he approached the stands and said to Ginny, "Meet me by the castle… I need to ask you something."

He turned quickly to finish off his flying routine and didn't wait for her answer. Had he seen the stands after the supposedly innocent comment he had just dropped, he would have seen Ginny Weasley rival the colors of Gryffindor with her blush. He would have seen the fangirls cheer and congratulate Ginny, with some faces of jealousy. Perhaps he would have noticed Daphne Greengrass' expression go from confused, to satisfied, to something unidentifiable to anyone but her best friend Tracey.

Ginny was waiting for him at the entrance of the castle, looking both nervous and excited. Harry dismounted his broom when he was about five meters from Ginny and walked over to her. When he was close enough to talk, neither of them said anything, though Ginny looked up at him expectantly. Finally, Harry opened his mouth and lamely said, "Hello Ginny. I'm sorry to bother you but could your leave the stands? It's getting quite crowded don't you think?"

Harry meant this in the nicest possible way. Ginny however, extended the meaning of 'nicest possible way' and came to her own conclusion. "I understand Harry! Now I know why you hadn't asked me to the ball sooner. You were probably nervous to do it in front of a bunch of girls, but I'm glad your Gryffindor courage shone through!"

"Wait… what? I asked you to the ball?" replied a confused Harry.

Ginny, however, was far beyond the point where her excitement could let her think clearly. Her mind was rushing with ideas for her dress and fantasies about going with Harry to the Yule Ball, which had now become a reality. She responded "I'd love to go with you Harry! I'll let you know the color of my dress soon! I'll see you later!"

Ginny ran off to the castle, leaving a very confused Harry staring at her retreating figure. It wasn't until he began walking back to the castle that he realized what Ginny had been talking about. _Shit! He thought to himself. Now I have to go with Ginny to the Ball, it would break her heart if she found out it was a mistake and Ron would kill me. Hopefully he doesn't let me go with her, it would make this much easier. Stupid, stupid, stupid. It really did sound like you were going to ask her out with the alone time. At least Greengrass won't try to kill me with her beautiful eyes anymore. Wait what? Beautiful?_

Harry sighed and walked to the Gryffindor dorms, ready to face the onslaught of questions and rumors. Surely enough, as he walked through the Fat Lady's portrait, all eyes were turned to him.

* * *

A particularly cold day stranded most of the Hogwarts population inside the castle, with an exception of a Gryffindor and a Slytherin who were most likely either insane or immune to the cold, likely the former. Harry Potter flew tight circles and performed steep dives on his broom. His flying sessions were a way of coping with his difficulties and he enjoyed the isolation from the rest of the school who constantly either looked ready to kill him or wanted insights for the school rumor mill. Even his flying time was constantly interrupted by his sole remaining fangirl in the stands who constantly called out to him. Luckily for Harry, Ginny Weasley hated cold weather and did not venture into the cold on this particularly chilly day.

The girl deserved some credit, as even Harry could not handle the cold as he was exposed to the worst of it on his broom. After zooming at top speed and feeling his fingers slowly freeze, he was forced to retire early. Harry was about to fly towards the castle but decided to kill some time with the Slytherin in the stands. It didn't hurt that it was a particularly beautiful Slytherin. In his defense, he didn't want to return to his adoring fangirls in the Gryffindor common room.

He slowly flew closer to the stands, allowing Daphne time to see him so she wouldn't hex him for scaring her. When he saw no spells flying towards him, Harry decided it was safe to land and sit two seats apart from her. His particular approach inspired a mental chuckle; he felt as if he were approaching a Hippogriff. He was on friendly terms with her, but he knew better than to sit too close to her. To his surprise, Daphne spoke first.

"It seems the cold has taken down even the mighty Harry Potter," she said sarcastically. "Are you still sitting in the cold to escape your fans Potter?"

Harry blanched at her smirk. She had been able to see right through his motives. "Well yes Greengrass, don't we all need a little peace?"

"You could tell me twice. I've been receiving glares from your little red girlfriend for the past week for sitting in the stands. Her cheering and obsession over you are annoying to be frank. Think you could get her to leave the stands, without asking for her hand in marriage?"

Harry gave her a semi-serious glare. It was, after all, Daphne's request that had gotten him into this mess. He retorted sarcastically, "You're hilarious Greengrass, a real ray of sunshine. I'm in this mess because I was trying to repay you, and look where I am now."

Daphne gave a laugh and quickly covered it up. It would not be proper to laugh at a Gryffindor joke after all. Instead she channeled her laughter to another source: embarrassing a Gryffindor. She said, "It looks like poor little Potter can't cast a warming charm or is terrified of the Slytherin in front of him. You're shaking like a Chihuahua Potter."

Harry was too cold to realize the Muggle pet reference she had used. Instead, he looked a bit embarrassed for not knowing the spell. "Yeah… I really should learn it. Could you teach me?"

"I'd really love to see you suffer some more cold, but then your lips might freeze and poor Ginny Weasley won't have her toy." She disregarded his glare. "Instead, I'll cast the spell on you and let Granger figure it out for you. Until then, you're stuck indoors with your Weaslette."

Harry groaned at the Slytherin's "evil" plan. Ginny had been clinging to him and attempting to kiss him often, leaving his seeker reflexes to help him dodge her kisses. However, his resentment of Daphne was replaced with gratitude as she cast a warming charm on him, loosening his muscles and feeling like a warm bath.

Daphne gave him a small smile and changed the subject. "So tell me Potter… who were you even going to ask to the dance before the great mess you made?"

Harry looked at her sheepishly. He had actually been hoping to ask Cho Chang or Susan Bones. Daphne was even a possibility before the Ginny fiasco. However, he didn't want the embarrassment of admitting _that_ to her and merely responded, "Cho or Susan. How about you, mighty Ice Queen of Slytherin?"

She chuckled at the nickname and smiled fondly at the memory that had given her that name. Crabbe's "family jewels" would never be the same after severe frostbite. "I'm probably not going to have a date, but I'll join my friend Tracey and whatever date she takes, if she gets a date."

"Why wouldn't she find a date?"

"She's a half-blood so Slytherins won't date her for fear of Malfoy's retribution. Other houses won't go near her because she's a Slytherin. She's really nice and really pretty, and she really wants a good guy, but I'm afraid she gets the worst of both worlds," Daphne responded sadly.

"She'll find a date," Harry answered. "After all Draco found a date and I'm convinced he plays for the other team."

Daphne snorted (in a quite un-ladylike way) at the description of the blond prick and asked Harry about the latest Ball stories relating to him, "So have you heard Susan Bones is going to the Ball with Dean Thomas?"


	8. Acht: The Yule Ball

Harry Potter, the boy who had stopped Sirius Black and Remus Lupin from becoming murderers, was about to become a massive hypocrite. It took all of his self control not to blast Ron through the window of the dorms into the dark night. For the past three hours, Ron's moping and complaining had followed Harry, even as he was trying to tame his hair (a task that proved fruitless and instead added to his ire). Ron had been groaning for days about not having a date, but in the hours before the Ball his moping had been obsessive to the point that he had complained to Harry while he was in the loo.

Finally Harry had suffered enough and snapped at Ron. "If you're so worried about not having a date try to meet someone at the ball. Just because your mother is forcing you to go doesn't mean I have to suffer through your bloody complaining. I wanted to go with Susan Bones but your sister trapped me into going with her as you very well know. I could be complaining too. Now get off your sorry arse and get dressed, and maybe you'll find that not everyone is going with a date."

With that, Harry chased Ron out of the bathroom by firing some weak stinging hexes. Harry sighed and finished up the last touches on his black dress robes. Harry wished he could have worn a tuxedo, but Professor McGonagall had snapped at him for even suggesting it, though he failed to notice her slight smile through her tirade on wizarding customs. Harry adjusted the hem of his dress robes for the fifteenth time and grudgingly admitted that there was no reason to remain in the bathroom. He slowly made his way to the Gryffindor common room. On his way out of the dorms, he snickered at the sight of an irritated Ron attempting to enter his frilly, horrendous dress robes. For once, Harry wished Colin Creevey could be there with his camera.

He was not surprised to see the common room full of dressed up guys waiting for their dates impatiently, with the exception of Neville. Harry occupied the seat next to Neville and engaged him in polite conversation while the room slowly but surely emptied itself of occupants. In the middle of a particularly cumbersome conversation about Herbology, Neville looked at the stairs of the girls' dorms and remained stunned. Harry didn't notice because he had already zoned out, but as Neville hurriedly flew off of the couch and unceremoniously tripped over a table Harry barely restrained a chuckle until he looked at the stairs.

Hermione slowly descended down the stairs as most heads turned her way. She embodied Venus as her ethereal beauty in her lavender dress captivated the attention of most of the males in the room much like a Veela allure. Whispers and whistles assured one thing: Gryffindor now knew Hermione was more than a walking dictionary. Fred and George whistled, causing her to blush. The whistles, fortunately for Neville, distracted her from seeing the boy fall flat on his face on his way to the base of the stairs. Hurriedly Neville arrived at the base of the stairs and was greeted by the biggest smile Hermione had ever given him. He was stunned, but a discreet nudge from Harry, who had crept up behind Neville to support him, prompted him to open his mouth and spew incoherent phrases involving the words" "Hermione, beautiful, wow, stunning, wow, and girl." Luckily for him, Hermione spared the boy any further embarrassment by putting a finger on his lip. She kissed his cheek and whispered to him "I know what you meant to say Neville. Thank you. You look great yourself."

Harry merely winked at Hermione as Neville took her arm. A smile from Harry conveyed all his words to his best friend, and she walked out of the commons with a smile. Soon after, Ron half-heartedly walked down the stairs and walked out alone towards the Great Hall, ignoring the sniggers and stares from the boys with dates. Harry considered following him but refrained from doing so because of the complaining he'd have to hear and because he still had to wait for Ginny who had still not come down. Harry sighed and sat down on a chair wishing he could've gone with anyone else.

Only after Lavender, Parvarti, and Angelina had descended, found their dates, and departed did Ginny finally exit the dorms. She wore a fiery red dress which accentuated her growing curves. Her hair was straightened and styled beautifully and shone as brightly as her dress. Even Harry, who did not particularly want to go to the ball with her, was impressed by the redhead's beauty. Clearly, part of the Weasleys' lottery money had been used for a good purpose. Harry stood at the base of the stairs and extended his arm towards her as she approached the bottom. Harry, trying hard to be a gentleman to not ruin her night at least, said to her honestly, "You look wonderful Ginny."

Ginny reciprocated the compliment and took his arm. As they exited the commons, Ginny begged Merlin for the halls and the ball to be dark. She was regretting wearing a red dress because whenever she blushed, the entirety of her body would look bright red. Had Ginny had a more honestly interested date, she would have been stared at due to her low neckline. She attributed the lack of staring from Harry to be chivalry, though thoughts of Susan or even Daphne coursed through Harry's mind. Harry did not want to hurt the girl and ruin her evening; however, so he engaged her in polite conversation on the way to the Great Hall, eyes not wandering below Ginny's own. She hid a slight frown as she had hoped he would look at her developing body, but quickly excused his behavior as wanting to be a gentleman. Thus, Ginny remained blissfully oblivious to Harry's urge to flee.

* * *

Harry finally pulled away from Ginny after being quite literally forced to dance for an hour. Even after everyone had gone to the table to eat, Harry remained firmly latched to his date who would not allow him to leave the dance floor. Neville smirked at Harry's pleading look during a particularly slow dance in which Ginny completely pressed up against Harry, prompting an unwanted reaction below his waistline. After that dance, Harry quickly separated himself from Ginny and got lost in the crowd, leaving an extremely frustrated but proud Ginny on the dance floor.

He quickly found an irritated Ron sitting by the punch bowl and plopped himself down on the adjacent chair. "Blimey mate! You look all riled out? Where's Ginny?"

"She's probably looking for me. I left her on the dance floor after she started getting too touchy."

"Mate. That's my sister you're talking about, I don't want to think of that! Just set her up with another guy. You're my best mate and all, but I don't fancy seeing you snogging my sister."

"I don't plan on it Ron. She's the one groping me if anything. If she finds me I'll let her know. But for now, I'm starving. Let's go find a table where she won't find us."

The promise of food motivated Ron to leave his chair and follow Harry through the hall to find a secluded table near the back. The "Golden Duo" weaved their way through the crowd until they found an empty table except for two occupants facing away from them; all they could see was long blond hair and black hair behind the backs of the chairs. Seeing no other table offering relative isolation, Harry and Ron seated themselves on the opposite side of the round table without glancing at the girls in the chairs opposite their side of the table. However, as both boys raised their glances from the plates in front of them, they stopped, captivated by the beauty of the two girls in front of them. The blonde wore a shimmering light blue dress that left one shoulder exposed and glistened in the low light and highlighted her beautiful features. The raven-haired girl wore a red dress that could only be described as seductive with its low neckline and tight fit.

The blonde snapped them out of their stares with a terse comment. "Shouldn't you two be at a different table looking for other girls to ogle?"

Harry looked stunned momentarily but recovered with a smirk (and a blush that was hidden in the low light) and retorted, "If there's such lovely female company here why would I be elsewhere? Besides, you look wonderful Greengrass. Blue really looks much better on you."

Nodding at Tracey, he added "This must be your friend Tracey who you have spoken so highly about. I can't wait to hear her sense of humor which apparently is legendary. I'll be polite and introduce my best ma-"

Ron had been looking extremely uncomfortable since Harry had muttered Daphne's last name, to the point where his wand was nearly drawn. He interrupted Harry's introduction. "Harry! They're Slytherins! How could you be so friendly with them? Have they given you any potions? I'll defend you mate!"

Surprisingly, it was not Harry nor Daphne who responded to his outburst. Tracey Davis responded with a smirk, "If you put it that way Weasley, you make us seem like horrible old Slytherin hags. Were you not looking at my chest before you knew I was a Slytherin?"

At that comment, Ron visibly paled. "It seems as if your prejudice is holding you back from seeing me in my knickers, something I know you want to do." Her voice dropped so that only he could hear, "I'm matching with my dress, but I guess you don't want to see Gryffindor red."

Harry and Ron stared at Tracey with looks that made Daphne wish Colin Creevey had his camera. She was used to her friend's sense of humor and enjoyed seeing the thick-skulled redhead be put in his place. Harry was the first to recover from the shock and chuckled before saying to Tracey, "You had me there; Daphne's description of your humor was near perfect and I must say I was surprised that she wasn't taking the mickey out of me. As I was saying before, this is Ron Weasley, and I think you might have broken him."

Ron just sat there stunned. It was true that he had been staring at the black haired girl. In truth, she was beautiful. Her sense of humor also surprised him and broke something within him. He was tired of being lonely and not having a date. Instead of retorting with anti-Slytherin propaganda, he steeled himself and responded, "I'll have to take you up on your offer, Davis. After all, you are wearing the colors of my house."

This time both Harry and Daphne stared at the other two in shock. Tracey, however, responded in stride. "Buy me dinner first Weasley. What would the school say about your manners with a lady?"

"Such a lady as yourself deserves a date to the dance, where is your lost lover?"

"I came alone, though I'm open to ideas. I need a date for the dance floor and the broom cupboard, though I don't think you can fill that role. After all, you're only a Gryffindor."

"It looks like I'll have to defend my house honor by dancing with you. As for me being a Gryffindor, we're called the lions for a reason." At last, the seemingly useless education that Ron had received on pureblood customs at home seemed to have paid off as he extended his arm to Tracey and escorted her to the floor with only slight lapses in protocol.

Daphne and Harry watched the pair depart with stunned looks on their faces. "I think Weasley may have been on to something when he mentioned potions in the drinks. That was beyond what I could have imagined," stated Daphne.

"I can't believe she pierced his thick skull. There is hope for him after all, even if she had to seduce him. Do you think she was serious about the broom cupboard?"

"She was having him on, through she might tease him all night. Apparently he can reciprocate. It's hard to believe she broke through all his prejudices in a single minute. I'm curious to see if his opinion changes on Slytherins or if he's merely following his second head."

Harry snorted but grinned. "It looks like I've won some chocolate frogs. I introduced him to two good Slytherins. It seems I owe you and Tracey for winning me this bet."

Summoning his Gryffindor courage, Harry added, "Perhaps I could repay this debt with a dance?"

Daphne smirked at him but remained in her seat. "It'll take more than that to get me to dance, Potter. I expect grand gestures that you couldn't possibly think of doing." Harry grinned and thought to himself _Challenge Accepted_ before ordering roast chicken under the instruction of a still-smirking Daphne.

* * *

Ginny Weasley prowled around the Great Hall for her date like a lioness stalking her prey. As she approached Harry, who was still sitting at the table with Daphne while politely digging into his chicken with famished fervor, Daphne saw the redhead out of the corner of her eye and smiled to herself. She had every intention to watch Harry be yelled at by his date.

"Excuse me, I have to go to the loo," she said as she stood up and walked off but turned and hid in the fringes of the crowd to watch the inevitable confrontation.

"Harry Potter! I have been looking all over for you! I'm your date and it is rude to abandon me! Come back here and let's dance." yelled an infuriated Ginny.

Harry inwardly groaned and looked longingly at his chicken, but strengthened his resolve and fought back for the first time in the night. "Ginny. We need to talk. Let's go outside so that our conversation isn't broadcasted to certain spectators snaking their way through the crowd." Daphne froze as the comment implied Harry had known what she was up to. _He's smarter than he looks,_ she thought to herself.

Ginny stood her ground. "Whatever you say to me can be said here. I'm sure it's nothing bad." She said the last part mostly to reassure herself.

Harry steeled himself and relented to her wishes. "I'm sorry Ginny. I only see you as my best mate's sister. While anyone here can't deny that you're beautiful, I only see you as that. I didn't want to ruin your night but you're ruining mine by dragging me around like a trophy. I was intending to ask Susan to this dance but you put words in my mouth and I didn't want to hurt you. I'm sorry Ginny, but I'm sure there's plenty of guys who would love to dance with you."

Ginny looked hurt and stood there staring at him for thirty seconds before she responded with tears in her eyes. "Go with Susan then Harry! See if I care! I felt your reaction on me, some way you see your supposed sister. You ruined my bloody night. Next time don't come with me if you're just going to lead me on!" She ran out of the ball through the crowd that had gathered around them. Many looked at Harry with expressions ranging from disgust to pity. Notably, Susan Bones looked hopeful while Dean looked downright murderous. Daphne hid her expression and blended into the crowd, the conflicting disappointment and relief on her face not noticeable to anyone.

* * *

Harry spent most of the evening shrugging off nasty glances and conversing politely with Neville and Hermione about the new development in Ron, who the entire school had been shocked to see dancing with Tracey Davis of all people. Susan Bones had even asked him to dance, but he had politely refused behind the excuse that he didn't want to annoy Dean. Susan looked put off but Dean gave him a grateful nod.

Harry was even more irritated by the fact that he could not get his eyes off of Daphne. She appeared everywhere, or so it seemed; he saw her dancing alone to the Weird Sisters, he saw her getting the wizard equivalent of punch, he saw her not so subtly having a hushed conversation with Tracey. He could not get her out of his mind. He thought about their previous conversation. He knew that she had mentioned a grand gesture. _If it's a grand gesture she wants, it's a grand gesture she'll get._

Harry subtly walked up to the Weird Sisters who were currently on break backstage. He hated using his fame, but introduced himself and subtly pulled back his hair to show his scar. Naturally, the Weird Sisters shook his hand frivolously and gave him an autograph. Before he left, they asked him, "Is there anything we could do for you dear? Any specific song?"

"Well..." Harry said with a grin on his face, "there is a message I need delivered."

* * *

Ten minutes later, the Weird Sisters climbed back on stage and the lead singer approached the microphone. "Before we begin our next song, I'd like to announce a message from Harry Potter!" The entire crowd froze and looked at Harry with a mixture of awe and annoyance. "His exact message was: Daphne Greengrass, is this a grand enough gesture for you to dance with me?"

The crowd parted around a stunned Daphne Greengrass who quickly regained her regal composure. With the smirk that was quickly driving Harry to insanity, she slowly walked up to the microphone and simply said "Simply not grand enough Potter. It looks like I'll have to dance alone all night after all, but I'll give you one more chance."

The entire school watched as Harry's look of betrayal and disappointment morphed into a face of determination. Even Dumbledore smiled at the scene while most students remained in shock that Harry harbored a crush on the Ice Queen, especially so publicly. Many of the girls looked at the blonde in envy and confusion: they would have accepted his gesture. Harry slipped into the crowd again and was quickly lost behind the robes of the international students which were the first to recover from the scene.

Only a handful of students noticed the Weasley twins be dragged off by a determined Harry Potter to an isolated corner of the Great Hall.

When he finally stopped, they teased him and said, "Well it looks like Ickle Harrikins needs-"

"the help of the pranksters Gred and Forge-"

"to impress the unmelting Ice Queen."

"So tell us Harry, what do you have planned.?"

Harry grinned and began telling them his plan. If the looks on their faces was any indication, this gesture would be more than shocking."

* * *

A loud Sonorus charm erupted throughout the Hall as Fred and George took the center of the dance floor and began to pave the way for Harry's prank.

"Witches and wizards of every nation-"

"Prepare for the grandest of gestures from our little Harry Potter who has grown up so fast-"

"and will attempt to thaw the Ice Queen's heart."

Both twins shot fireworks into the air and Harry used this distraction to slip behind Dumbledore and cast a spell on hm. Dumbledore, of course, had sensed Harry but allowed the boy to have his harmless fun. Dumbledore's peculiar hat flew off of his head and was magically engorged to be the size of the headmaster himself. Fred and George cast their own spells to have the hat explode into a multitude of fireworks that spelled out "Dance with me?" Soon after, the fireworks were transfigured into doves that flew at Daphne and vanished.

The whole crowd looked in shock between an amused hatless Dumbledore (quite frankly they expected him to explode at Harry) and the Ice Queen who for once did not smirk and bore a smile. "I'll give you one dance Potter... you've earned it."

The crowd, Dumbledore, the Weird Sisters, and even some members of the staff cheered before returning to their previous activities, for the most part. After all, it wasn't an everyday thing to see Harry Potter dance with a Slytherin. Harry did not notice the glares of Slytherin students or the skeptical nods of his friends. At last, Harry reached Daphne just as the Weird Sisters began a slow tune. Taking the blonde in his arms into position, he smiled and prayed that Professor McGonagall's dance classes had worked. He held on to Daphne's hips and slowly guided her in the dance, careful not to get too close to her or step on her toes. As they danced, Harry did not see that dreaded smirk appear on her lips and instead saw enjoyment and hints of a smile. Perhaps he had finally melted the ice queen just as Tracey had pierced his thick skulled redhead friend's mind. As the last song of the night came to a close, Harry bravely began to lean in to Daphne, hoping his intuition served him right. For a moment, it seemed that Daphne was leaning into him too until she dodged his lips and kissed him on the cheek.

"Sorry Potter, while that gesture was certainly grand, it earned you a dance, not a kiss. Thanks for the dance, I did enjoy it, though next time you could try to dance a little closer. I won't bite. Goodnight." She winked at him before turning and leaving the Great Hall. For once, Harry was not annoyed to see that cute smirk etch itself on her face. He smiled to himself as he watched her walk out of the hall.

The older staff members watched the scene with curiosity; even Snape watched the scene with a sneer. It seemed Harry Potter would be pining after a girl with grand gestures just like his father before him. He would not be allowing him to tarnish one of his precious snakes.

* * *

James Potter and Lily Potter shared a look after watching the scene unfold.

"It looks like my boy has his work cut out for him, just like his dad. I'm so proud!" said James Potter to his wife.

Lily Potter smiled, watching the scene from beyond the grave with interest. "Perhaps. Though I think the girl will actually enjoy his approaches. He's not overly obnoxious like someone I know. He obviously has my genes."

"If you didn't like my advances little Harry wouldn't even be here. I'm sure he'll be the greatest Marauder and get the girl and make his father proud. Sirius will surely help with that!"

Lily rolled her eyes at the antics of her husband and smiled to herself. Her boy was truly growing up to be a wonderful young Marauder. Though she didn't admit it to her husband, she enjoyed seeing his pranks liven up his life.


	9. Neun: Christmas Revelations

Holidays at the Greengrass manor were generally quiet affairs. The living room (which boasted the whopping size of a small house) was covered in Christmas decorations with enchanted ornaments flying overhead and a five meter tree towering over the inhabitants. Around the tree, enchanted snow formed mountains and various Muggle ski resorts, with animated people, of course, giving the tree an illusion of being bigger than the mountains. If the adults were asked to point out the strongest magic in the room they would describe the constant magic of the fake northern lights or the lifelike animation of the area around the three which made the atmosphere feel alive. However, to the two girls of the house, the most magical feeling of the holidays was seeing the pile of presents. Thought the pile was overshadowed by the size of the tree, the girls always flew towards the presents like heatseekers.

Despite the size of the manor's living room, only six people generally occupied it on Christmas morning. Along with the 4 Greengrasses, Tracey and her mother had been occupying the room since the time of Mr. Davis' death. The school did not know it, but the two girls who were best friends at school were practically sisters outside of school. Though Greengrass Manor was rarely occupied by more than six wizards during the holidays, the familiar bonds generated a lively environment that could only be described as magical.

The piercing green eyes of Astoria Greengrass were the first to open on Christmas morning. Since Daphne could remember, Astoria (or Tori, as she had been nicknamed by her sister) had woken up everyone in the house to open presents earlier. Tracey's mother had been quite surprised and irritable the first time Astoria had jumped on her bed in the guest room until she had woken up. Ten years had passed since that first holiday at the Greengrass', but Ms. Davis still had to restrain herself from cursing Tori into the wall. She was definitely not a morning person, not even on Christmas.

Tori's shoulder length hair that could only be compared to gold flowed behind her as she snuck through the hallways to wake up her first victims. Astoria silently opened Daphne and Tracey's room and let her trademark mischievous smirk etch itself onto her face. In her modest opinion, her smile beat out her sister's irritating trademark smirk. Posing herself in a position to jump, she began her tirade of "Wake up!" and "It's Christmas! Let's get presents!" Moments later, she was jumping between Daphne and Tracey's beds dodging swipes and swings from her sister and her friend. Though Daphne was loathe to admit it, she enjoyed having her sister wake her up as she rarely saw her throughout the school year.

"Honestly Astoria," called out a sleepy Tracey who had finally stood up while rubbing her eyes, "don't you think that you should be more mature considering you're thirteen years old? Don't you Ravenclaws have any respect?"

Tracey made an attempt to sound stern but smiled shortly after, ruining the effect. She truly loved holidays at the Greengrass Manor and also enjoyed Tori's antics.

After making sure the two older girls were fully woken up, Astoria made a beeline to her parents' room and woke them up with little difficulty. Luckily, they were usually morning people. Astoria had more problems waking up Ms. Davis, and though like her daughter she protested and pointed out Astoria's age, she was thankful for holidays with her closest friends and their children.

Though Tracey and her mother had playfully jabbed at her about her age, she felt freed by her immature routine. It allowed her to feel free and away from the studious and lackluster life of a Ravenclaw. She loved her house, but her housemates could feel like black holes for fun sometimes. Astoria could study when she needed to, but she also needed a quota of fun to not go crazy. The cheery Ravenclaw skipped down the stairs after confirming Ms. Davis was indeed awake and waited in the chair closest to the presents by the tree.

"Bixby!" she called.

"Yes Mistress Astoria? What can I do for you on this Christmas day?"

Astoria smiled at the older house elf. Bixby had been with the Greengrass family for over fifty years and had always been treated by an equal by every member of the Greengrass family. "Can you bring the usual Christmas snacks and tell Zinsey and Bobby to start breakfast?"

"Certainly mistress! We live to serve the noble Greengrasses." Astoria smiled at the elf's departure. She was fond of the elf and his elf family which had served the Greengrass family and kept the house running. She had befriended the house elves and was their favorite in the house. Bobby, the son of the other two elves, had even become her friend in the year that Daphne was away at Hogwarts on her first year.

Bixby soon popped back with a tray of six steaming mugs of hot chocolate and a fresh batch of cookies that Bixby had made in anticipation of Astoria's request. Tori cheerily thanked the elf and drank her hot chocolate laced with peppermint, a taste which she associated with home.

Soon Tracey, Daphne, Ms. Davis, and Mrs. Davis descended the stairs and seated themselves at the living room near the cookies. Tori's excitement was palpable (the other two girls were equally excited but hid it well) as her father finally descended the stairs purposefully slowly and at last seated himself. He winked at Astoria, sipped his hot chocolate and stated in a loud voice. "The time which you have all been waiting for has begun! Time for presents!

* * *

Breakfast after the eventful gift opening session was notably more tense than the present opening ceremony. The three younger girls wore new jewelry or placed assorted presents at the dining table which had been shrunk from its massive ten meter length. However, the two elder Greengrasses seemed a bit nervous and looked at each other expectantly as if they had something to say. Daphne for the most part tried to ignore their behavior but seemed on edge as well. Only Tracey and Tori remained deep in conversation fueled by Christmas sweets.

Finally, Daphne grew tired of the tension around the table and blurted out, "Whatever you're going to say dad just go out and say it. I've been watching you struggle to say it and I know what it is."

Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass glared and sighed at Daphne. Tori and Tracey bore expressions of confusion while Ms. Davis gave the two parents an encouraging nod.

"Well..." started Mr. Greengrass before being cut off by his wife.

"I'm pregnant. You're having a baby brother!"

Astoria looked at her mother in shock while Daphne glared at her mom a little. Tracey looked back and forth between Daphne and her parents and looked confused at her reaction.

"Daphne did you already know? You dont look sur- THE LETTER! That's what was in the letter you didn't show me!" shouted Tracey.

"You got a letter! I never got one!" complained Astoria.

Mrs. Greengrass grimaced and tried to console her younger daughter by saying, "Tori, dear, we told Daphne because we knew she would be less supportive of the idea. We know you've always wanted a younger sibling and we thought we would give you a happy surprise."

"I'm still mad that you didn't tell me but I'm so excited! Congratulations mom!"

Daphne merely glared at her parents much to the bemusement of her dark haired friend.

"Are there any more announcements that I can't change or can I be excused to my room?" asked Daphne cynically.

"Actually..." replied her mother, "I do have another announcement." She ignored Daphne's exaggerated sigh.

"As you all know I work internationally with Muggles and Wizards alike to modernize the Wizarding world. In my travels I met a brilliant American Muggleborn who expressed his wish of bringing American innovations in magic to England. He would be around 4th year right about now and I have already signed the paperwork to enroll him in Hogwarts next year. His parents were ecstatic and he will be a great help to my research while he stays here with us starting in March."

"Great! Why do I feel like we're picking up another pathetic life form?" retorted Daphne sarcastically.

"Young Lady it may be Christmas but your mother and I can still ground you. I'll have no more cynical comments from you today or you're stuck in your room."

Daphne relented and put on a mask of indifference as her mother explained her work and how she had met the boy to the eager Davis family. Astoria was asking her father trivial questions while Daphne inwardly seethed.

As breakfast was closing, Tori's mischievous smile etched itself onto her face. Seeing that Tracey had not taken the opportunity to embarrass Daphne yet, Tori said "So Daphne, I heard around the school that you danced with Harry Potter after he tried so very hard to woo you. Is he your boyfriend now?"

Daphne quickly went scarlet red and stood up, ready to defend herself. "I'll have you know I only danced with him because the whole school was looking. And I would not be his girlfriend without making him work hard for it anyways."

When she realized what she had said, she quickly shut her mouth and stopped talking. Unfortunately, Tracey had heard her comment. "So you're already considering being his girlfriend Daphne? My oh my this explains why you two almost kissed!"

"I dodged his kiss first of all! Second of all," Daphne gave Tracey a look of triumph before looking at Ms. Davis, "I heard you whispering some very indecent things to a certain Weasley. Several of those lines come to mind. Shall I recite them?"

Tracey usually took everything in stride but for once Daphne had been able to shut her up. Ms. Davis looked as if a basilisk had petrified her. Mr. Greengrass seemed conflicted on whether to laugh at her daughter's antics or be concerned about her almost kissing a boy. Her mother adopted a thoughtful look and laughed silently to herself. She would be mentioning the Golden Boy a lot more to get a rise out of her daughter. Astoria, meanwhile, was on the floor laughing at the scene she had created. "Just you wait Tori, someday we'll see you within 2 feet of a guy and you'll be the one laughed at." Daphne said cheekily to her sister.

"When you can find me a guy who has brains but doesn't bury himself in books all day, maybe I won't even mind your teasing. I after all am too perfect for any guy."

With that, all tensions from the table had evaporated. Greengrass Manor was under a temporary ceasefire - many holidays were spent this way - and Daphne could laugh with and enjoy the holidays for a little while before the inevitable conversation with her parents about more children, natural or adopted. They knew she was a jealous person when it came to family and the letter that was supposed to prepare her for the holidays by giving her the news ahead of time had not diminished her jealousy. Daphne knew she might be acting unreasonably, but she had always thought her family was perfect as it was and did not need anymore additions. Whenever her parents had brought up the possibility of another child, she would vehemently shut them down. Her parents always seemed disappointed but had complied with her wishes, until this time.

Holidays at Greengrass Manor always had tension, but the tension of the holidays reminded everyone of family, and not a single member would have it any other way, except perhaps Daphne.


	10. Zehn: Scarlet Christmas

Harry Potter sat at the Weasley family's table that Christmas day. To him, it was the closest he would ever be to having a real family - besides Sirius of course. Unfortunately, Sirius could not make an appearance at the Burrow as he was a fugitive. He had promised to mirror call Harry that night to try to compensate for his absence. If he was honest with himself, Harry had been more excited to call his godfather than he was by the presents he had received or by the festive environment. While Harry was exceedingly grateful to the Weasleys, he had developed a stronger bond with his godfather than he would ever have with his adoptive family. That did not stop him from enjoying Mrs. Weasley's Yule feast and the consistently entertaining conversation that came along with it (except from Percy's side of the table of course).

The conversation had been animated to say the least. Fred and George remained the center of attention for most of the feast. At one point, they caused Ginny to spit out her pumpkin juice on Percy after a particularly hilarious joke about Snape. Percy, of course, huffed and went to his room to clean up. Molly reprimanded Ginny but was too immersed in the holiday spirit to put any conviction behind it. To the table's occupants, Ginny appeared to be nonchalant towards Harry (though it could have been due to the fact that he had purposefully sat at the other side of the table with Ron and had avoided her hidden glares).

Given the nature of the Weasley family, the lack of arguments for the first half of dinner seemed miraculous. Percy in particular was surprised at the lack of arguments - perhaps his family was maturing. Unfortunately for Percy's theory, only a minute after his return to the table, an oblivious Arthur Weasley sparked the powder keg.

Mr. Weasley was sitting at the head of the table opposite the side that Harry was sitting. Unfortunately, that meant the entire table heard his question.

"So Harry, how was the ball? Ginny was so excited that she would be able to attend. Did you both have fun?"

Only Percy, Mr. Weasley, and Mrs. Weasley didn't shudder at the question. The rest of the table froze as they heard the seemingly innocent question. Even Ron did not seem so interested in his large helping of food anymore. For several seconds, the tension in the silence was palpable. Mr. Weasley was beginning to wonder if he had said something wrong before Ginny spoke up.

"Harry _sure had a good time_ father. Isn't that right Harry?"

Harry paled and decided to follow her little game, hoping she wouldn't ruin his relationship with the Weasleys. "Yes Ginny. I have to say Dumbledore's charm work was fantastic, as well as the food. Aren't you glad you were able to come as a third year?"

Harry hoped that would be enough to calm her down for the present moment. She had been able to attend the ball, after all. However, Ginny was stubborn and refused the olive branch extended to her. In fact, were she not at the table, she would have told Harry where he could stick that olive branch. "Oh yes. You were truly charming to invite me. And my brothers were so supportive during the night. It was a _truly_ enlightening experience."

Fred, George, Ron, and Harry began to fidget. If they were not careful, the spark would soon reach the powder keg, regardless of their evasive tactics. Only Mrs. Weasley seemed oblivious to the silent conversation the male Weasley siblings and Harry were having with Ginny through pleading looks. Unfortunately, she fired a flamethrower at the powder keg, and Weasley temper erupted.

"What do you mean by that Ginny? You don't seem like you enjoyed the night?"

At that moment, Ginny snapped. She exploded and practically yelled, "If you count being abandoned by your date only to have him pull off a bloody grand gesture to woo a BLOODY SLYTHERIN WHORE and to have your brothers fully support him in his endeavor to be a wonderful night, then I had the best night of my life. Not even Ron, who I counted on to help me with Harry, was there for me. He was also off dancing - if you could even call it that - with a Slytherin slut instead of being with his sister. Let's not forget my public humiliation at being rejected by my own date halfway through the night. Honestly I felt like a _total_ princess!"

The next minute of yelling could have probably been sensed by a Muggle seismogram as a minor earthquake. There were accusations, indignant responses, sassy comments, and yelled justifications thrown around like a game of hot potatoes with seven potatoes until Mr. Weasley quieted everyone with a _Sonorus_ charm.

" **Silence!** Now that you're all done soiling a perfectly good holiday," he started with venom in his voice which no one, not even his wife, had ever heard, "I realize that you're all upset. Now, we can either ruin this Yule celebration, which is all I asked for after working overtime for the past months, or we can clear the air and enjoy the rest of the evening. I highly suggest the former. Harry, I know you would never intentionally hurt Ginny, so tell us your side of the story."

His wife was about to comment but glanced at his expression and decided to let him take control of the situation. Arthur was rarely authoritative, but when he was, not even the strong-willed matriarch questioned his authority.

Harry quickly explained the event as honestly as he could without hurting Ginny. He explained how he intended to ask Susan to the ball. He explained how he had accidentally ended up bringing Ginny to the ball, though stating he was happy she was able to attend. He described the ball (leaving out the more explicit details) and his interactions with Ginny. In the end, he extended a brand new olive branch to Ginny with an apology.

"Ginny, I'm really sorry I wasn't the ideal date. I really didn't want to ruin your hopes or your night, but I feel like I am a part of this family, which means you're the little sister I never had. I never meant to hurt your feelings, but I had to tell you the truth. Please don't blame your brothers for helping me, I was the one who asked them and I explained my point of view. Don't judge them too harshly. If you want to blame someone, blame me for ruining your night."

Ginny seemed more or less placated by his apology, but his words still stung. She had been pining for him for years and now she was effectively in the sister-zone. She rapidly excused herself and ran up to her room to cry. A look from Mr. Weasley told the table to let her go. Instead, Mrs. Weasley had some questions of her own for the boys.

"Who is this Slytherin girl Harry? You need to be careful. She could be plotting against you." Mrs. Weasley's prejudices clearly resonated throughout the table. However, instead of Mr. Weasley, Ron spoke up in Slytherin's defense.

"Mum, they're not all bad. I lost a bet to Harry because I thought there were no good Slytherins," he said while ignoring a mumbled comment about chocolate frogs. "I had a really good time with a Slytherin girl who is nicer than most Gryffindors. Maybe house prejudices are just rubbish."

The table went silent at Ron Hater-of-All-Things-Slytherin Weasley's proclamation. Fred and George smirked at the jokes they would have at his expense about Tracey's influence. Molly Weasley, however, recovered the fastest and began her tirade.

"Ronald Weasley you are the LAST person I want to hear from right now. To think that MY son was with a Slytherin probably looking for a broom- "

Luckily, Arthur decided to intervene and cut off his wife saying, "There will be no more talk of this for the rest of the night. We will eat as a family and try to enjoy the rest of the holiday. Harry, regardless of your poor handling of the situation with Ginny, know that we are still your family. She will come to terms with it soon. We all make mistakes."

With that statement, dinner returned to a period of truce. For the rest of the night, the word _Slytherin_ was not mentioned once.

The train ride home was tense; Harry and Ron shared a compartment with Hermione and Neville, neither of which knew of what had happened in the Weasley household. Truth be told, the former pair was grateful to be out of the Burrow for once. They had endured constant badgering from Mrs. Weasley about their actions at the ball. Likewise, Ginny had given them all the cold shoulder and made sarcastic remarks when she did see them.

The group of four made small talk while Harry and Ron chose to remain oblivious to the fleeting glances Neville and Hermione cast at each other. An hour before their arrival, Hermione decided to ask the question no one dared to speak about.

"What happened over the break that has you both acting so strange? Did you not enjoy your holidays?"

Harry and Ron shared a look. Only one of them had to explain and neither one wanted to do it. In the end, they settled it in the most mature way. They played a game of rock-paper-scissors which Harry lost. Harry grumbled and told Ron to at least pick up snacks for them from the trolley which was on the other side of the train. He slipped some galleons into his hand and gave him a pointed look which Hermione did not miss. _The things we do for friendship_ , thought Harry as he thoroughly recounted the events at the Burrow.

Hermione remained pensive after absorbing the information while Neville tried to break the ice that had formed after the heavy conversation about a holiday that turned out less than spectacular.

Only one thing came to Neville's mind. "So you're starting grand gestures to melt the Ice Queen Harry? You really don't do things by halves."

Harry grinned. Daphne Greengrass had no idea what was in store for her. Harry had spent much of his time in the Burrow mirror calling Sirius. Naturally, he had gleaned some advice and had even received numerous ideas of grand gestures from his father's time at Hogwarts. If Sirius Black had helped Harry plan, Daphne was in for one hell of a ride.

Meanwhile, Ron waltzed through the corridors of the Hogwarts Express looking for the food trolley. He had to push past some irritating first-years which had been playing a game in the halls. Ron had never appreciated his best friend more, however. He had been saved from a grilling interrogation from Hermione and now had full discretion over the snacks. Life was looking up for him. As he passed through the section where the food trolley was, he failed to notice a certain dark-haired Slytherin sneak out of her compartment to follow him and the blonde Slytherin who rolled her eyes at her friend and wisely vacated their compartment.

Ron's eyes were all for chocolate frogs until he felt a hand brush his arm from behind. He turned to see a very familiar girl behind him.

"Hey Tracey! Fancy seeing you here."

"My, my, Weasley. You're being polite to a Slytherin even when she is wearing normal clothes. I daresay you like me for more than my body." Her smile gave away her joking attitude, however.

Ron blushed profusely at first but decided to play her little game. "I guess even snakes can be charmed. You look great now anyways."

She was surprised by his compliment but gave him a sultry smile. "I guess I'll have to tame your snake for that compliment." She lowered her voice to a whisper and moved her lips right by his ear to give him goosebumps. "Meet me in my compartment over there in a minute… Maybe you can help me change into my robes."

She gave him a sly wink and sauntered off. Ron was only able to wait thirty seconds before following her. So much for stealth. When he touched the doorknob, however, he was shocked - literally. He heard giggling from the inside and the door opened to reveal a fully clothed Tracey in a button-down shirt.

"Now, now, Gryffindor. I have to at least try to play hard to get. How else would I be able to tease you?" As she started closing the compartment, she slowly unbuttoned her shirt only to the point where Ron could see her red bra. Before she unbuttoned one more button, she shut the door and Ron heard the click of a lock. Frustrated, but with a grin on his face, Ron walked back towards his compartment. He failed to realize that the doorknob shock had actually been a prank to turn his hair Slytherin green. The twins would have been proud of Tracey for that one.

When Ron entered the compartment with no snacks, green hair, and a dreamy look in his eyes, his friends merely looked on in shock.

After the holidays, the school population was forced to return to their regular routine. For Harry, it meant early rising and flying. Unfortunately, Daphne had not wanted to enter her routine quite as quickly. She was still angry at her parents and had been moping for a week before Tracey talked some sense into her. Finally, after five weeks of flying alone - for the first time Harry was consciously looking for Daphne in the stands - Daphne returned to an early breakfast. Much to McGonagall's amusement, Harry could not hide his glances at her during his time in the Great Hall. It seemed he had it bad for her, just like his father had been with Lily.

Daphne had noticed his glances and smiled inwardly although her mask never faltered. She couldn't give the boy an easy time, after all. She secretly wanted to see more of his grand gestures, but was a bit distracted by the situation with her parents.

Harry was the first to head out to the Quidditch pitch for his morning flight. Instead of taking the usual route, however, he flew to a rose bush by the lake and picked out a rose. The bush was a gift from a previous class that had charmed the bush to not have thorns and have year-round roses for school couples to bestow upon each other.

He flew up high to remain out of sight while carefully hiding the rose in his robes under a warming charm which he had finally convinced Hermione to teach him. When he saw Daphne sitting in the stands, he swooped down from the sky and stopped right in front of her, startling her. Instead of getting mad, however, she merely looked at him and returned to her thoughts. Harry was unfazed, however, and procured his rose which had been slightly ruffled by the maneuver.

Calling forth his Gryffindor courage, he said jokingly, "A rose for the beautiful lady, even if she is a Slytherin."

She lightly moved the corners of her lips enough to constitute a small smile, but lost herself in her thoughts once again. Harry frowned. He was hoping for a bigger reaction after her week's disappearance. Carefully, he dismounted his broom and sat beside her. Only one seat separated them this time. Originally, he had planned to offer a ride on his broom but he wisely decided it could wait for another day. Instead, he asked "You alright? You seem lost in your thoughts. Need someone to talk to?"

Hours later, Daphne would ask herself why she spilled the details about her holiday to the Gryffindor Golden Boy of all people. He had only needed to ask her and she had made the decision to tell him. Strangely, she felt better, as if a burden were lifted off of her shoulders. He did not leave her mind for the rest of the day, which irritated her to no ends. He would pay for distracting her from her studies. She smirked to herself and thought, _alright Potter, I guess I'll play your little game. Let's see if you can truly impress me. I can't just make it easy for a Gryffindor boy after all._


	11. Elf: Solo: a Harry Potter Story

The Dark Lord cursed at his pathetic excuse of a servant. Wormtail had, in his fear of the giant snake, accidentally messed up the potion he was ordered to make. Voldemort considered torturing his servant but decided against it only because tremoring hands would impair his already poor brewing even further.

"You meager excuse of a servant," Voldemort told him, "start the potion again and brew it perfectly this time or I will have Nagini kill you slowly."

Pettigrew quickly vanished the remains of his failed potion and began brewing it again immediately. With Barty Crouch Jr. out of the picture, Voldemort had no real followers to help him advance his plans. It was time, he decided, to take a calculated risk.

"Wormtail!"

"Yes master?" the rat-like man replied immediately, fear evident in his eyes.

"There has been a change of plans. I need you to visit Malfoy Manor, but you need to be very discreet. Let no one except Lucius see you. You are to tell him that his master requires his presence along with strength potions. Also tell him to bring his family books on the dark arts. Show him your arm as proof that I am back."

After saying that, Voldemort pressed his wand with the little strength he had left and created a dark mark tattoo on his servant's arm. "You are lucky Wormtail. You have received this mark without needing to go through initiation. Do not disappoint me now or it will be the last thing that you do. Now go!"

Wormtail quickly left the shed in the Romanian woods where they were staying. He sighed and wondered how he had gotten into such a huge mess. The Dark lord had not given him the Dark Mark as a reward. The tattoo assured he could not run away and live a pardoned life. He apparated away to the nearest port and sought a ferry to England where he would stow away as a rat.

SPACER

It had been 4 days since she had spilled her heart to Harry Potter. She had told him things she had never even told her sister and distinctly remembered the conversation.

" _You alright? You seem lost in your thoughts. Need someone to talk to?" he had asked her._

 _Normally, she would have told him to shove it and go away. However, Daphne was so close to her breaking point that she spilled every detail to him. "I'm actually thinking about my parents. They're so infuriating but at the same time I know that being mad at them is unreasonable. Can you believe they are having a third child without ever consulting me, their eldest daughter_?"

 _Harry looked at her but said nothing, thinking it wiser to let her continue her rant._

" _And after all that my mom decides to practically adopt some American prodigy apparently without discussing it either. In fact, he will probably be joining us at Hogwarts soon! Can you believe it, an American at Hogwarts? That has never happened before, and of course I will be forced to take him under my wing since my parents will probably force me to. I never wanted any of this!"_

 _After judging that she was done with her rant, Harry asked her quite simply, "Why does having them in your house bother you so much?"_

 _As much as she had tried to answer that same question to herself, she was caught off guard by his question. She took a minute to think about it while Harry waited patiently. Finally, when she was growing desperate after not having an answer, she blurted out, "If I have a younger brother then I won't be head of the Greengrass family."_

 _Had she put more conviction behind her words, he might have believed her. Had he believed her, he would have left her sitting there as she would give up the gift of family for money and power. Instead, he replied, "I have never had a family and I wish I could have siblings. You do not seem to be the type of person that would be ungrateful of that gift. I know just how important having a family can be and I know the yearning of wanting a sibling. There has to be a deeper reason and I suspect that you know it already."_

 _He slowly moved over to her and placed his hand on top of hers. "You'll feel much better after you say it… Daphne."_

 _Instead of berating him for saying her first name or pulling her hand back she simply confessed, "I do not want to lose my place in the family. My parents are going to be so focused on the new kids that they might forget about me."_

 _When she realized that she had confessed her deepest secret to him. She pulled her hand away and ran off leaving a stunned Harry Potter to sit on the bleachers and think about what she had told him and how honest the 'Ice Queen' had been with him._

Daphne found herself revisiting the memory often. During lunch on that sunny Friday afternoon, her memory was interrupted by her regal owl Apollo who seemed to be feeling especially impatient. As soon as Daphne untied the letter from his leg and fed him an owl treat, he sped off towards the Owlery. Before Daphne could even open the letter her blonde little sister rushed to her side.

"What does it say?" asked an excited Astoria.

Daphne said nothing and merely opened the letter and began to read, though she left room for Astoria to read as well. Both sisters finished reading at the same time.

"Bloody hell," murmured Daphne as she nearly slammed her head on the table but was stopped by her primitive Occlumency training.

Astoria's reaction was much different. "He's coming today! I'm so curious!" she practically shouted before returning to the Ravenclaw table.

SPACER

William sat by the Floo in the Greengrass' living room idly conversing with his new "parents" while waiting for Professor Dumbledore to pick him up. He had arrived from the airport (as he did not enjoy portkey travel) minutes earlier and had been picked up by Mr. Greengrass who promptly apparated him to the manor minutes before Dumbledore was scheduled to

"How was your trip William? I do hope you arrived well on the muggle airplane," asked Mr. Greengrass.

William was still nervous around the man who would be his temporary guardian while he resided in England. Thus, he responded, "It was alright sir. We did get delayed on the runway but that is common for such a large airport. We hit some turbulence upon entering Britain but I actually enjoyed it. It felt like a roller coaster."

Seeing that her husband was not following all of his Muggle references, Mrs. Greengrass entered the conversation to save both males from embarrassment. "William you can call us Scarlette and Gareth. You are now part of our family and I do hope that someday you might be comfortable enough to call us mom and dad."

"I don't think I'm ready for that… especially with what happened to my family. But I do agree that it would be easier to be familiar with each other. You can both call me Will."

The two elder Greengrasses shared a look and a small smile. He had been thrust into a new environment and thus Will was still slightly afraid. They would get through to him eventually and encourage him to lower his formal behavior. Someday, he might even tell them more about his past.

Before they could say anything else to him Dumbledore appeared from the shimmering green flames. "Good evening Lord and Lady Greengrass. I do hate to intrude on new family time but we must get going before Mr. Solo's sorting."

William was still shocked after hearing Dumbledore refer to his new parent as "Lord." His life could either be a lot better or worse now. Finally, he snapped out of it and replied formally, "Good evening. You must be professor Dumbledore. I was fascinated to see your name on a reference to the many uses of dragon's blood. Truth be told I tried to research your sorting process but I am at a loss as to what it could be."

Dumbledore's eyes shimmered at his new pupil's love for knowledge. Perhaps he would make a wonderful Ravenclaw. "That is something that you will find out for yourself. When you are done saying your goodbyes, simply say 'Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts' and you will be transported there."

After saying that, Dumbledore exited through the Floo to give his new pupil time to say goodbye. Scarlette raised an eyebrow at her new son. "Mr. Solo huh? Is that what you registered as?"

Will gave a small smile and shrugged. "My mentor recommended I change my last name. It seemed less obvious than _Skywalker_."

While his wife smiled, Gareth seemed at a loss. He was not caught up in Muggle culture as well as his wife. "Well then Will, or shall I say Mr. Solo, we will eagerly await your letters and hope that you enjoy Hogwarts. You will meet our two daughters soon enough. I have asked my eldest to give you a tour. I will see you in the summer."

Tentatively, Scarlette approached Will and gave him a reassuring hug and was happy when he returned it. Gareth handed him his three shrunk trunks and shook his hand, allowing Will to become more accustomed to him instead of diving right in like his wife.

William thanked them and stood in the fireplace. "Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts," was the last thing he said before disappearing in a green fiery swirl.

SPACER

Daphne Greengrass sat in the Great Hall looking more anxious than she ever had. Tracey had picked up on her mood and had asked her why she looked like her owl had been kicked. Daphne did not even grin at her friend's attempt at humor and simply stated, "You will find out after dessert."

Sure enough, after all of the students had finished dessert and were standing up to leave, Professor Dumbledore stood up and moved to stand in front of the student body. "I would kindly ask you to seat yourselves," he stated in a voice that boomed across the Great Hall. Murmurs arose as this was not a usual request. "We have a new student arriving today all the way from the United States of America, a feat that has not occured in Hogwarts history."

At this announcement, murmurs began spreading across the Great Hall. Few noticed that Professor McGonagall was absent from her chair. Hermione, however, did notice and said, "They're going to sort him alone in front of the school! Poor guy. I really hope he blends in. This has got to be nerve wrecking."

Dumbledore finally boomed, "Silence! I would like to introduce to you all our new student: William Solo!"

At this announcement, McGonagall opened the doors of the Great Hall and walked next to the visibly nervous boy while carrying the Sorting Hat. She was irritated at Dumbledore for having him take the walk alone from the Great Hall entrance instead of entering through the staff door from behind the table. The boy was surely going to be scared.

When Will reached the headmaster, Mcgonagall said, "Please sit down for your sorting Mr. Solo, we will place the Sorting Hat on your head to determine your house."

The whole Hall was silent and no one had mentioned that there was no stool for Will to sit in. Panicking under the awkward silence, he resorted to humor and stated boldly, "Am I to assume the gold throne is for me to sit in?"

The entire school was shocked at his words but Dumbledore chuckled and said, "Well, since you mentioned it you may sit in my throne for the sorting. You are, after all, the first student to ask. I daresay that your courage might have you placed in Gryffindor."

The entire Hall was shocked to hear this and the Gryffindors seemed hopeful to have a new face in the mix. McGonagall smiled at the thought of having a new cub. Flitwick, who had been told by Dumbledore about the boy's love of research, was hoping to secure a new raven into his nest.

The Great Hall received a shock when, after two minutes on the boy's head, the hat proclaimed "Slytherin!"

Polite clapping emanated from the Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin tables. Gryffindor was silent. William sat down in an open seat near the end of the table and simply waited for dinner to end as most of his Housemates were eyeing him up and down.

When everyone began to leave the Hall, Will was approached by Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle who dragged him aside to a side corridor. Unbeknownst to them, three witches were following closely.

After they assumed they were not followed Malfoy said, "Welcome to Slytherin. You may not know this, but I am in charge in Slytherin. You would do best to listen to me."

William almost laughed at this. The posh accent Malfoy attempted to use made him sound like an idiot. "My guess is that here in England you're considered posh. In America you'd just be called a prick. I won't let you bully me around."

"My father will hear about this Solo. I bet you're a filthy mudblood too."

"If you refer to me having Muggle parents, then yes I am. That does not mean I can't defend myself from the likes of you. Go on now and cry to daddy."

At this, Malfoy became enraged and pulled out his wand. Before he could even cast a spell Will had pulled out his wand and stunned him. He turned to face Crabbe and Goyle. "Do you two want the same or will you take him back to your dormitory?"

Without their leader, Crabbe and Goyle fled and left Malfoy behind on the floor. "That's a strange wand you have there," called a voice from the shadows. Will pointed it at the voice.

"Show yourself, I'm a bit on edge because of this blonde prick."

Hermione came out of the shadows and raised her hands to show she was unarmed. As Will began putting his wand away she told him, "Please don't put it away William, I've never seen a wand made out of metal before."

That seemed to break the ice as William went into a scientific explanation. "It's crafted out of Palladium and has a phoenix feather core. It is truly one of a kind. Palladium is extremely conductive of magic due to its atomic density and size very similar to silver and it purifies magic as it goes through the wand to focus raw power to ensure pure magic is the only energy to pass through."

Hermione seemed fascinated by the idea and made a connection. "So that's why I didn't see any light come out of your wand! I had noticed your spell was invisible. Does that mean light energy is transformed by the wand?"

"I see you have a knowledge of chemistry. Yes, it functions like that. The excess light energy is converted into magical energy which makes spells more powerful. The invisibility of the spells is particularly useful as opponents do not see a projectile. Unfortunately it is quite difficult to practice aiming when you do not see your target so I am still working on it."

"My name is Hermione by the way! You should show me that wand of yours sometime! I need to study it."

William raised his eyebrows at her and she blushed when she realized what she had said. "I didn't mean it like that!"

He gave her a playful smile. "I know you didn't. Do you perhaps know how to get to the Slytherin common room? I was supposed to meet with a girl named Greengrass according to my foster parents but I have not been able to find her."

"I don't know where the Slytherin dorms are as they don't like us Gryffindors very much, but I can help you search for Greengrass. I assume you're looking for Daphne? She's in Slytherin too."

"I don't know. I do think she would have found me in the Hall. I guess I could always find my way to Dumbledore's office."

"Speaking of Dumbledore that was brave of you to ask up there. I fully expected you to become a Gryffindor after that," she said with a slight undertone of disappointment.

Her response was cut off by a third year in blue robes. "Hi Will! I was totally not listening to your conversation with my sister behind that wall. I insisted we come find you earlier but she insisted on waiting. Can you believe she didn't let me help you when Malfoy pulled his wand? I guess you didn't need the help but we're supposed to be helping you. I'm Astoria Greengrass by the way!"

William was shocked at first but quickly recovered and responded, "Nice to meet you Astoria. I guess you're my sister now?" he asked slightly disappointed.

Astoria moved her hand through her blonde hair and looked at his hazel eyes with her own blue ones. "Wellll… you could consider me a friend instead of a sister. We aren't related after all."

As Daphne finally approached Astoria winked before saying, "Good night Will! Enjoy the snake's den! Granger you should go too, I'm sure Daphne and Will have a lot to discuss."

Both girls said their goodbyes and returned to their respective dorms. Daphne on the other hand, approached Will and said, "So you're the new addition to our household." He noticed that she did not say family like the others.

"Yes, I am. My name is William. You can call me Will like your sister if you'd prefer."

Resentment at how even her sister seemed to like him bubbled inside Daphne. Her parents had raised her to be polite but in this instance she was too angry to care. Though it was not visible on the outside, Daphne was directing all her resentment at him. "Let's go Solo, your common room is this way." She turned on her heel and walked towards the common room without looking to see if Will was following.

 _I guess their eldest is not too happy to have me here,_ he thought. He brushed his hand through his blonde and brown hair and followed the angry blonde. _If only she weren't so pretty I'd be angry for her rudeness. On the bright side, she does not even consider me family… I am, after all, merely 'another pathetic life form to her'._ Little did he know that Daphne had said those exact same words about him.

SPACER

Lucius was annoyed that Peter Pettigrew had arrived at his house. He was going to curse him before he rolled up his sleeve. Pettigrew proclaimed, "The Dark Lord requires your presence in Romania. We are to leave at once with your family tomes on dark magic and strengthening potions. If you fail to come the Dark Lord will remember your hesitation when he returns to full power."

Lucius hid his fear and pretended to be glad about the news. "Wonderful! I have been waiting for his return. I will be joining him shortly with whatever he requires."

As he walked to his library Lucius Malfoy inwardly cursed. His wealth, power, and family redemption were about to be gutted by the Dark Lord who he secretly hoped was dead. Now, in order to protect his family, Lucius was forced to obey. Before leaving, he sent a Patronus to his wife. "He is back. I must go to him or risk our family's safety. Prepare an explanation for my absence."


	12. Zwolf: Thrown to the Snakes

**A/N: So I know I've deleted all my previous A/Ns, but that's because they were detracting from the story. I'll make it brief since I just made major changes. I combined chapters and fixed gaping plot holes. More importantly, I found an editor therefore I won't just be posting rough drafts anymore It's summer too so I have more time to continue this. Thanks for the reviews, here comes Chapter 12. One last thing, the title has been changed to "The Butterfly Effect." This is most likely not set in stone but seems more appropriate with the change in tone of the story. I was in 10th grade when I started it, after all. If you have any ideas for a title, feel free to review or PM it to me.**

* * *

"Purity!" Daphne almost hissed into the wall. Her body language had become progressively more hostile as she guided William to the dungeons. It didn't help that he'd purposefully asked questions at every corner to rile her up. By the time she was at the door, she had just about lost all of her limited Occlumency shields.

As soon as they had entered the common room, a final witty remark from Will had sent her over the edge. He didn't even get to finish turning the dungeons into an innuendo before she drew her wand and touched the tip of it to his cheek. She had to extend her arm, however, and as such was not in the best position for quick reaction. Will quickly summoned his hand to his hand making a weird hand gesture and hit her wand with his, sending hers flying as she was not expecting the force of a metal wand on hers.

Everyone stared at him in shock as they saw the speed at which he had summoned his wand. He looked around and studied the astonished faces. Becoming nervous, he said, "What? It's a magnetic summoner. It works because the wand is metal. I have an electromagnet in my wrist. The pose was just a Spider-Man reference!"

The crowd awkwardly dispersed, leaving just Harry, Daphne, and Tracey standing there. Of course, the other Slytherins stayed at a distance to hear the inevitable confrontation. Fortunately, or unfortunately for the spectators, the Ice Queen had managed to control her emotions while William was being eyed critically for his comment. She said nothing, fixed him with an icy glare, picked up her wand, and stomped to her room with as much grace as she could muster.

"Damn, maybe this isn't the place for me," he said to himself. "Not even one person got the reference. What is this? The wizarding royalty?"

Little did he know, he was partially correct. He also didn't know that a certain raven-haired Halfblood had heard his remark. Tracey Davis snorted and invited him to sit on a couch. "Hey Spidey, looks like you're making quick friends. I'm Tracey Davis!"

Though he was initially shocked at the personality clash between Tracey and the rest of the Slytherins, he gave her a shy smile and accepted the offered seat. The rest of the Slytherins returned to their previous activities, but Will still felt a tingling sensation in his neck whenever he felt that he was being watched. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily depending on who you asked, it was hard to keep your guard up around Tracey Davis. While they made small talk and introduced themselves, he slowly found himself relaxing until she made a statement that caught him off guard.

In true Tracey fashion, she flipped the conversation on its head by saying, "You know you created quite a splash at the Greengrass house on Christmas. I don't think I've ever seen her that angry. And when you slapped her wand away, that was priceless! She has never, and I mean never, lost control of her anger like she did today. Not even with Malfoy. I should be supporting her, but she needs to loosen up a little more. Keep it up, and maybe she'll lose that ice queen persona."

After being bombarded with information about Tracey's best friend, Will tried his best to formulate a suitable response. He had not expected to go from small talk to his impact on his new family, after all. However, he quickly replied, "I thought that was normal behavior for her. She's been mad at me since before I even arrived, apparently. Is that her way of saying 'welcome to the family' or is it just a British thing to glare at the American?"

Tracey's eyes actually watered because of the ensuing laughter. "No, we don't all make a habit of glaring at the colonials, however, you'll find that Slytherins are a lot more reserved than the other houses. Sometimes it feels like a literal snake pit. If it weren't for Daphne, I would have gone insane in here. I'm glad someone else knows the Muggle world though, even if you only know the colonies."

"Hey now, its been over 200 years, you guys can get over it! To be honest, I thought I'd enjoy Britain a lot more than I have so far. I thought I'd love the accent, but it's kinda hard when everyone glares like and sounds like a James Bond villain. At least in here. Well maybe everyone besides you, and perhaps Daphne. I could get used to that."

"Quite the charmer aren't you? Daphne too? Already fancy your new sister?" Her teasing tone and smirk took the edge off her last statement, however.

"Hey! It's not like that at all! The Greengrasses are not even adopting me. There was not enough time to… My parents had agreed to let me come here, but they died before they were able to finish the guardianship papers. Luckily, the Greengrasses decided to rescue me from the Child Protection Services in the United States. They're my guardians, but if they did want to adopt me, it could take years. I'm… really grateful for all of their help through all of this."

Tracey's smile faltered at the new information. In a more serious tone, she replied, "I didn't know about your parents. I'm so sorry. If there's anything I can do to make you feel better, I'll be here. You can count on me as a friend if you'll take me. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Of course I'll take you as a friend, is that even a question? About talking, however, not right now. Maybe someday. I don't want to burden you with my story and scare you off," he said only half joking. "You're probably wondering why I do not look as upset as you'd expect an orphan to look. My parents always taught me to not live in the past. I still struggle with that one, but I can tell you that they're not truly gone. They live on up here."

He tentatively moved Tracey's hand which had moved to his after the shocking news and touched it lightly to his forehead. He smiled but she seemed more confused than before.

"What do you mean by that?"

"That's a story for another day. This is probably the most emotional conversation I've ever had with a friend and I'm not used to the feeling."

She frowned at his comment slight but quickly recovered. _Did he not talk about anything important with his old friends?_ she thought to herself. Before she could ask him about his friends in America, however, Snape decided to ruin the moment by entering the common room.

"Who's that creepy man over there?" he whispered to Tracey.

Before she could respond, however, Professor Snape approached the two students and addressed his newest Slytherin. "My name is Professor Snape, head of Slytherin House. Since you have been sorted, however... unorthodoxly, into this house, I expect nothing but your best behavior. Losing points for the house would be… unfortunate for you. Outside of this common room, I expect a united front with the rest of the Slytherins. If you have problems with other house members, which I am aware that you do, you will resolve it in here. You have lost my leniency after your little altercation with Draco Malfoy. Your dorm room will be number 11. Fortunately, or unfortunately for you, every boy in your year refused to share a room with you. As such, the room is all yours. As a Slytherin, you have certain... privileges. I will often turn a blind eye, but do not abuse this, or the retribution will be swift."

After saying that, the man stalked off to his office, his cape flying behind him. "Is he always like that?" asked William.

"No, he's usually much worse, especially to the other houses. He does take care of his snakes though."

"Clear favoritism, yet I'm already on his bad side. I seem to be making a lot of friends. Everything is so different here. However, I get my own room! I really should go check it out."

Tracey, being ever spontaneous, stated, "I'm coming with you!"

Will raised an eyebrow at her and said, "It's the first day, what will people say if they see me taking a pretty girl to my room already?"

She blushed slightly but responded in stride. "Now, now, who says I don't want to be the first girl to be taken by this 'American lady-killer' in front of me. In all seriousness though, I've never seen a room with only one bed in here and I'm curious as to how it looks like. I could even help you decorate! I love decorating rooms."

Seeing his slightly fearful face, she amended her statement by saying, "Not like girly or anything, I'm good at design though. Daphne never let me design our room though, saying it was 'shared.' With you, we won't have that problem! Also, if I go into my dorm now, Daphne will bite my head off, and since you got her mad in the first place, you owe me this."

Will didn't need much convincing. "Lead the way," he said, "maybe you can even join me for a game when I set up my Xbox."

"Your Xbox? I thought electronics did not work around magic."

This time, he gave her a smirk that could not contain his smugness. "I used to too, dear Tracey, but you'll find I'm full of surprises."

"Let me guess, it's a story for another time?"

"You know me so well already."

The pair walked off towards the Slytherin boys' dorms, ignoring the glares from the rest of the house and the recently revived Draco Malfoy. _I'll get those Mudbloods,_ he thought to himself.

* * *

The sudden arrival of William Solo revived the Hogwarts rumor mill. Sure, Hogwarts had a few international students, but none of them had arrived halfway through the year. No other student had confronted Malfoy on the first day - not even Harry Potter.

Of course, his sorting into Slytherin did not help. Numerous questions permeated nearly every conversation in the school. Was he dark? Was he a spy sent by the American government? He had to be evil, right? Why had he come halfway through the year? Why did he talk so differently?

Even the Golden Trio, along with Neville, seemed to be discussing the new student. They sat in a circle on the boys' dormitory. It was not ideal, especially with Hermione there, but the common room was buzzing with discussion and the four preferred to talk in a quieter place. Well, in reality, Harry, Hermione, and Ron had come to discuss it between the three of them, but Neville had happened to be in the room and had been called over by Hermione, though she was lost in her thoughts.

Ron started off the conversation by saying, "Though I know that I've been defending Slytherins as of late -"

"Even if they turn your hair green?" interjected Harry.

"Yes, Tracey is just different."

"So it's Tracey now?" Neville teased him.

"Anyways, I think we lost a wonderful addition to Gryffindor. I don't think anyone else has ever dared to sit on Dumbledore's throne, yet he did it on the first day. He would have made an amazing Gryffindor."

"Or Ravenclaw!" blurted out Hermione and quickly realized the implications of her statement. She had just invited unwanted questions which, of course, the boys asked.

"He sat alone and apparently had a run-in with Malfoy, but other than that, he didn't seem to talk to many people at his table, so why do you say that?" asked Harry with a slight smirk, he knew her body language and knew he'd cornered her.

Hermione did not want to admit to how she'd followed the new student, however - especially not in front of Neville who already had issues with confidence and had been stealing glances at her, which of course, she'd noticed. Therefore, she attempted to lie.

"Well, the sorting hat took a while on him. We can guess that he had an affinity for Ravenclaw, especially if he transferred," she said unconvincingly.

This time, Neville spoke up. "Hermione, I don't know you well, but you're a horrible liar," he told her teasingly.

"Fine! You're all nosier than Lavender Brown!" she said to the boys who were motioning for her to get on with the details. "If you must know, I followed him and saw the altercation with malfoy. He drew his wand and stunned Malfoy before Malfoy had even finished flicking his wand. I approached him afterwards to ask him about his wand. It was made of metal! Anyways, he explained the science behind it and seemed knowledgeable about both Muggle and magical inventions. He seemed nice, perhaps a bit strange. I think you guys would like him though."

"That still doesn't explain why you followed him after the feast," insinuated Ron with a smirk.

"Well he seemed alone. It reminded me a lot of me when I first got to this school. Plus, you have to admit that you were curious too."

"Alright," responded Ron, "but I'm sure that wasn't your only reason."

"Stop teasing her, Ron. We were all curious about the new student anyways. Apparently he's very talented according to Hermione," Neville interjected, though there was a slightly bitter undertone to the last statement.

Their 'gossip session' was interrupted when Harry voiced one of his thoughts. "Wow, so this is what it's like when people talk about me. I have to say, I feel slightly hypocritical of me. Call me selfish, but I'm glad the attention is off of me."

"You're right Harry, we do kind of resemble Lavender's gossip circle right now. Let's head off to sleep, it's late and why wonder about him when we can ask him ourselves? Let's face it, you two are going to run into each other eventually," replied Hermione.

"You're probably right, but I do hope it doesn't bring both of us any more unwanted attention. I also hope he doesn't join Malfoy's lackeys, but, seeing as he stunned him, it doesn't seem too likely. Goodnight guys, I'm headed off to bed too. I've got to wake up early again."

"To see Daphne?" asked Ron with a fake innocent voice.

"Bugger off," replied Harry as he got into bed, though he was smiling.

* * *

Harry walked into the Great Hall the next morning before most people had even awoken. As such, he was groggy. For once, he was there before his fellow early riser. He did not have to wait long, however, because as soon as he sat down, the doors opened and the blonde Slytherin walked to her table. They had not really spoken since her confession five days earlier, in fact, she had gone back to passively ignoring him.

Feeling bold, especially because he knew what was really bothering her, he walked over to her table and sat in the Slytherin table for the first time in his life. Granted, the Great hall was empty, but it was a small victory. She had not even seen him coming as she had sat with her back to him. Needless to say, she was surprised when she felt someone slide into the seat next to hers. Unfortunately, an angry Daphne did not react well to surprises and drew her wand.

"Woah! It's just me Greengrass. I know it's not really a grand gesture but I thought I would sit with you today. Why eat breakfast alone?"

She glared at him with her icy expression but faltered and then sighed. She did not have the energy to be angry at him when she was directing her ire at another target. Instead, she dropped her mask and let her features relax. She was too tired from staying up most of the night imagining various scenarios in which she could hex her new "brother."

"You're right Potter. Your company isn't completely intolerable," she said with a small smile. "Plus, I slipped up and told you my deepest secrets and all of that so I guess I can't pretend we're still strangers can I?"

"No, you can't. I guess we are friends now."

"I guess we are. I never thought I'd be friends with the legendary Harry Potter. All your fangirls would die for my place you know?"

"Yes, but you don't fangirl over me. That's one of the reasons I like you."

"Oh I see, you want a girl who challenges you. Well you're sure in for your greatest challenge yet. Don't think I haven't forgotten your little leaning into me at the ball," she teased, though her voice was sounding more and more casual and less strained the more she talked.

"Well, it took my dad seven years to win over my mom. I'm guessing I could do it in three," he replied in a more flirtatious tone.

"Confident are we? Typical Gryffindor. I admire your boldness, but it won't get you that far with me. I'm expecting more grand gestures," she said half-jokingly. By then, they were both openly smiling. For once, her mask was completely off. For once, she felt like a normal girl that didn't hide all her emotions.

"Any grand gesture is worth it for the girl who saved my life. It does help that she is quite beautiful, in my opinion."

Neither of them noticed how they were moving closer towards each other on the table until their hands accidentally touched under the table. Before they could explore that, however, the doors to the Great Hall opened and Daphne quickly jumped away from Harry and quickly tried to raise her mask with her Occlumency. However, she failed when she noticed the two figures approaching the Slytherin table. Her anger and jealousy spiked as she saw her new 'stepbrother' with none other than her best friend approaching them.

* * *

"Crucio!"

Pain. White hot pain. The feeling of being boiled alive while simultaneously being stabbed with thousands of rusty blades coursed through the blonde's body for the period of one second. After that, it felt like a fourth year using a stinging hex. Of course, he would never tell that to their oppressor who had not yet lifted the curse. He pretended to writhe in pain on the floor, waiting for the curse to end and not wanting to face any further retribution. Eventually, the curse was lifted and a weary voice cried out.

"Wormtail, bring me the strengthening potion!"

After hearing his master talk, Lucius Malfoy dared to right himself and chose to remain on his knees. _What are you doing?_ He thought to himself. _You could have easily overpowered his curse and killed him along with the rat. You could finally be free!_ However, doubt coursed through his head. _If he is still alive, then he must have indeed found immortality… If I betray him now, I will die._ His mental debate was cut short by the breaking of a flask followed by a raspy, yet familiar, voice.

"Good, good, Lucius. It seems you still possess a sense of self preservation. However, your thoughts of betrayal will be punished just as they used to be. Your mental shields are weak. For your weakness and insubordinate thoughts, you will suffer. Crucio!"

The blond was blindsided by the power behind the potion. He had not expected the strengthening solution to boost his master's power to such an extent. Therefore, his screams of pain could be heard reverberating through the forest. In between his louder screams he heard his master's voice mocking him.

"Now now Lucy, don't tell me you've gone soft. Did you honestly expect me to be as weak as a fourth year? It seems you need to get reacquainted with my wand. However, there will be plenty of time for that if you fail me in your new assignment."

At this, the Dark Lord lifted the torture curse and violently dragged the twitching man to his knees with his wand. Malfoy knew the drill, however, and attempted to ignore the pain to listen to his Lord's instructions. The Dark Lord did not repeat instructions, after all.

"As Head of House Malfoy, I expect you have your family's tomes on dark magic memorized, correct?"

"Yes my Lord," replied the man uncertainly, not knowing where this conversation would lead him.

"Good. You may be useful after all, at least, more useful than this pitiful rat. I need any information that you have on rituals to restore my body."

It seemed that Malfoy had struck gold. The Malfoy family had created the original restoration ritual centuries ago. This was Lucius's chance to regain favor with the Dark Lord and hopefully garner unwavering respect from every Death Eater after the Dark Lord's inevitable return. Now, he could protect his family instead of needlessly endangering them.

"My Lord, I believe I have just what you need. I believe that the ritual you seek is the Trisubstiate Triple. It just so happens that the Malfoy family grimoire contains the original instructions."

"Show me," commanded the Dark Lord in a loud voice not befitting his broken form.

Lucius enlarged the grimoire after removing it from his robes. With a flick of his ebony wand, the Dark Lord hovered the book in front of himself and began to read from the ancient tome.

 _Long ago, I, Alexander Malfoy, traveled the world in search of a secret to eternal life. I daresay I failed. Throughout my travels, I was abandoned by my wife, children, and entire family. No matter, I know that this journal will provide invaluable knowledge that will forever defend the Malfoy name. Eventually, they will find it and remember me as a hero, not a disappointment. Though I was never able to find the secret of eternal life, I have become acquaintanced with some of the rarest and most powerful magic in the world some would even call unnatural. To every Malfoy that will ever read this, I say this: do not forget your heritage, do not bow down to anyone, and, most importantly, never discuss the contents of this book with an outsider. Protect our secrets at all costs._

The Dark Lord smirked at Lucius whose head hung low. He really was pathetic. At last, the Malfoy knowledge would be passed on to a god. The subservient Malfoys did not deserve such powerful magic. Slowly yet deliberately, as if to mock the man, the Dark Lord perused the ancient tome until he found what he was looking for.

 _The Trisubstiate Triple_

 _I stumbled upon this ritual on the highest mountains to the east. There, in a village concealed by magic upon a small plateau, I met a sorcerer who specialized in rejuvenation rituals. This ritual was the closest I'd ever get to eternal life, but alas, was merely surface-level. I gave the man a rare artifact in return for being the first outsider to ever partake in the ritual. At first, I had believed that I had finally accomplished my mission. The ritual transformed my body back into the strongest I had ever been, both physically and magically. However, the sorcerer told me that the ritual did not prevent death. In fact, we would still die at the age fate had predetermined for us._

 _That was the day that I gave up. In blind rage, I killed the sorcerer. Fortunately, fate smiled upon me and I still remembered the ritual's contents. I had been the only one to not have my memory wiped when it was complete. Not even the villagers remembered the specific instructions. Unfortunately, I realized my error. The battle with the sorcerer left me severely depleted and surely the magically powerful villagers were on their way to investigate the surge of powerful magic. The time came to finish my journal and make sure it reached my family before it was too late._

 _As I write this final entry, my fate is sealed. I lay under siege in the sorcerer's cave while the villagers pound away at my defenses. I will place this journal in a black box and place powerful compulsion runes upon it to force whoever picks it up to endure the journey back to the Malfoys. I have also written the instructions for a fake ritual to distract the villagers while their sacred ritual is being transported. The fake ritual will use a bone of the father, blood of the enemy, and flesh of the servant. But this is a fake. It will horribly mutilate them and weaken them over time. The true secret will remain hidden away here. There is not much time, here is the_ real _ritual._

 _You must combine the blood of your servants (the more you use the more effective the ritual will be), the flesh of a powerful enemy, and the left thumb bone of your father in a mixture of water and basilisk venom. Climb into the mixture. You will feel excruciating pain, but your body will be restored. Become powerful, but know that it comes at a price. Reckless usage will alert others to our ritual. They will kill for it. Be wary of its use._

The Dark Lord smiled but seemed to be grimacing. He motioned for his servant to stand. "Lucius, your grimoire has proven to be invaluable. I shall be keeping it. However, you have proved your usefulness. I have a mission for you. Should you succeed, you will be my second-in-command. Should you fail, you will die. Am I clear?"

"Yes my Lord," he replied. The man seemed both exhilarated yet terrified.

"Good, then I need you to collect blood from all of my followers who lie in hiding, make a trip to Little Hangleton, and bring me Frank Longbottom…"


	13. Dreizehn: 180 Degrees

**A/N: Before even writing this chapter, I want to thank everyone who is reading this. Over 6 thousand people read the story in a span of six days! The number of views doubled, which shows that people do like the story. Though there have been some negative reviews, most have been positive or constructive, which I really appreciate. Though some have harped on my version of Daphne or my decision to include an OC, the number of new followers and views lets me know that I must be doing** _ **something**_ **right. I have read most, if not all, of the HP x DG stories with over 100k words and have to say I've come across a lot, and I mean a LOT, of different Daphne's and plotlines. My inclusion of an OC (there is a certain storyline that would not be feasible without this OC, especially if I decide to someday write a sequel) was to make things different and my version of Daphne is a synthesis of all my favorite Daphnes rolled up into one. She's frigid, but in the end is still a fourteen year old girl despite her heritage. I hope this story remains as unique and refreshing as I intend it to be, even if it does have cliches and some recycled material at first. Then again, I am writing this for myself as much as for y'all. Sorry for the long note, especially as I've refrained from having them, but having a 100% increase in total views is a momentous occasion and I truly want to thank you all. Onwards to chapter 13!**

 **Edit: I apologize for taking so long, I was abroad and the world cup got in the way.**

* * *

Harry Potter knew anger. He had grown up with Uncle Vernon, who went purple in the face with rage at any given moment. He had faced Voldemort, whose very spirit emanated a concealed anger. He had been terrified in all those instances, therefore, he should have been immune to fearing a fourteen-year-old girl. However, whether it was because he was startled or truly scared, Daphne's reaction to the duo entering the Great Hall gave him shivers.

Wizards were supposed to be able to control their magic enough to prevent accidental magic by their first month at Hogwarts. Yet, in that moment, Daphne Greengrass was experiencing accidental magic all around her. Her hair was floating around her as if coursing with static electricity. Her glare reminded Harry of a basilisk. Subconsciously, her wand was raised. Inside her mind, four years of suppressed emotions leaked through the dam created by her poorly constructed Occlumency shields, threatening to collapse entirely.

Were it not for the magical shock that she felt on her shoulder which startled her out of her accidental magic, she would have most likely cursed the incoming new student. However, Harry's quick action in times of fear saved both Daphne and William from the repercussions of her actions. He had decided to try and calm Daphne down by putting an arm on her shoulder. Unknowingly, he had balanced her unstable magical levels by emitting a faint magical wave into her body which had neutralized enough of her magic to bring her to her senses. In other words, he had reversed the flow of some of her magic with his own.

As Tracey and Will approached, oblivious to the danger the latter had formerly been in, Daphne had been trying to process the foreign magic that coursed through her. At first, it had been invasive. Yet, the more she tried to analyze it, the more comforting and familiar it felt. Unfortunately for her, it dissipated as quickly as it had arrived, leaving a slight hollow pang in her magic. Harry, of course, remained oblivious to the effect he had on Daphne's magic and had drawn his hand away from her shoulder when he saw the approaching duo.

Unfortunately, as soon as Harry's stabilizing magic had stopped reinforcing her mental shields, they quickly began to crumble again. When Tracey and Will sat down across them tentatively, she decided to flee instead of fight. As she stood up to follow her out of the Great Hall, Tracey Davis stopped him with some advice.

"Trust me, following her now would not do either of you any good. Give her fifteen minutes to cool off so that she can talk to you. I've never seen her this angry. I wish I knew why, but judging by your reaction, I'm guessing you know why. Don't worry," she said as he opened his mouth to retort, "I won't pry for any details. She'll tell me when she's ready."

"I'm sorry I can't say anything," he replied before noticing William who was ready to introduce himself.

"I'm William Solo," he said while extending his arm for a handshake, "though I guess you probably already knew that. It's not like anyone has anything better to talk about."

Harry perfectly understood his resentful tone at the last statement. He replied in turn by saying, "My name is Harry Potter, pleasure to meet you. I understand what you're going through, the Hogwarts rumor mill is relentless. You'll learn to ignore it eventually."

"You sound as if you deal with it often," replied Will, though it was more of a question than a statement.

Before Harry could give a modest reply to preserve the one person who seemed to be oblivious to his fame, Tracey cut in, "Well, he's kind of the celebrity around him. Every single person in wizarding Britain knows who he is. He could probably run for Minister of Magic right after leaving Hogwarts and get elected."

William looked gobsmacked for a second as he did not expect the boy in front of him to be a celebrity; Harry simply didn't exude the confidence or arrogance that all the celebrities he had met had given off - especially one with as much influence as Tracey claimed.

"How did you become so famous? It must have been something truly extraordinary that managed to propel you to that level of society!"

Both Harry and Tracey winced at his comment but remembered he was not aware of the story, thus Harry carefully responded.

"Actually, I didn't do anything. The night a dark wizard named Voldemort - oh, come on Davis - killed my parents, he tried to kill me too. Nobody knows how, though I suspect my mother had something to do with it, but I survived the killing curse that was cast on me and rebounded it to him, apparently killing him. Though I do not believe he is truly dead, as I've encountered him again in the past three years, for whatever reason, I am credited with killing the darkest wizard of the century though I did nothing."

"I'm sorry to hear about your parents. Mine died a few months back. I can probably imagine how you feel being famous for your parents' death. Mine were pretty influential back in America so part of the reason I came here was to get away from it all. I wanted to start fresh."

Harry was startled at the revelation. William had recently lost his parents but did not seem as grief-stricken as he had imagined anyone would be. However, his musings were cut short by an afterthought from William.

"I've met a lot of famous and influential people in my short life, and you do not act like them. I understand your wish for normalcy. It seems we will both be unable to find it for a while, but I at least promise to treat you as an equal - for better or for worse - regardless of your status."

"I'd like that very much. I truly do hate being worshipped for something I had no control over. As for you, hopefully the rumors will fade away as long as you don't draw too much attention to yourself."

"Well what do you know," cut in Tracey, "the current two most talked-about wizards in the castle are friends now. What is the school going to say?"

"The rumor mill can go to hell for all I care. Let them live their lives through us if they can't live their own," replied William, though he sounded as if he was trying to convince himself more than the others.

"While that's not how I'd phrase it, that's probably the best way to handle it. Ignoring them is better than fueling the flames," advised Harry.

"Speaking of fueling the flames," replied Tracey, "I think it's time for someone to go see if Daphne has cooled off."

"You're right, I'll go find her. It was nice meeting you William, I'll catch you around sometime. Bye Davis."

"You can call me Tracey, I won't bite. Now go find Daphne. Maybe give her a snog if she needs it to cool off."

She would have seen him blush, but he was already opening the doors of the Great Hall and opening up the Marauder's map.

 _Now where'd you run off to Daphne?_ he asked himself.

* * *

Locating the missing Slytherin was easier than Harry had anticipated. For one, she was one of the few dots that was currently not in a common room. Additionally, she was the only dot on the Astronomy Tower, making her even easier to find. The most daunting part of Harry's task was not the search - a fact that he soon realized upon his arrival at the Astronomy Tower. By rushing after Daphne like a brave Gryffindor, he had completely forgotten to formulate a plan for his arrival. Though he refused to admit it, he had no idea what he was going to say to Daphne once he saw her. However, that was not going to stop him from trying to help her, and he opened the door to the Astronomy Tower's highest floor: the observatory.

He, predictably, found a startled yet angry Daphne at the top, as usual, with her wand drawn. Later, Harry would wonder if it was his nervousness, courage, or stupidity, which made him say, "You know, you really do draw your wand way too easily. I'd complain, but you do look cute when you're angry."

He _could_ have dodged the spell that flew at him in retaliation, or so he told himself. The bright orange stinging hex that hit him in the right shoulder flew out of Daphne's wand before she could even process what she was doing. As a result, she was horrified (if a little smug) that she had cursed the boy who had been making her morning so enjoyable before its subsequent destruction.

She ran over to him, looking more panicked than angry, and asked, "Are you okay? I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hex you, but to be fair, you deserved it."

Harry gave her a weak smile and asked, "So did I deserve it, or was it an accident?"

"Why can't it be both?" she replied before chuckling slightly. As an afterthought, she added, "Aren't you supposed to be top of the class in defense?"

"Well, I had to _let_ you hit me so you could blow off some steam," he replied sheepishly.

"Sure you did," she taunted with her usual smirk, "only you would be stupid enough to say that to an angry girl. Do I really look cute though?"

Harry sensed the danger in that question and carefully replied, "Yes, but not cute enough for me to want to make you angry all the time. Happy you is even prettier."

"Good answer," she replied with a small smile, "though your approach was certainly… unorthodox, I do feel a lot less angry now. Thanks for coming. How did you find me so quickly anyway?"

"Trade secret," he replied with a smirk of his own. "However, it is a lot easier when I know your anger is not directed at me. But you really should talk about what happened earlier."

"I don't think I ever want to discuss that again," she replied with a half-hearted glare.

"Well you will. You nearly lost control there and could have seriously hurt them or yourself. You looked really out of control," he replied.

"Well, I guess I should thank you for stabilizing me, but that doesnt mean I owe you an explanation."

"I think after a stinging hex to the shoulder, you do," he joked. "In all seriousness, let's sit and talk about it if you want to. I won't force you, but it could be really good for you."

At that, he went to sit with his back to her by the giant telescope, shivering in the January cold. After deliberating with herself for a minute, she slid in next to him and transfigured a blanket to cover them both from the cold.

"No heating charms?" he asked her.

"No," she replied, "this way _you_ can keep me warm while I vent."

"Can't complain about that," said Harry before tentatively sliding closer to her. "Now, tell me specifically why you can't stand William. I know you have told me about it before, but where does all this family jealousy come from?"

Daphne sighed, still reluctant to discuss this specific issue, but relented, knowing he was only trying to help. "Alright, alright. The first time I felt so protective of my family was apparently when I was one year old. I used to hate the idea of having another child before I could even eat solid food! Then, when I was three, I started really resenting all the special attention Astoria got. After all, she was still the baby of the house though I was still a toddler. Thinking back, I may have exaggerated her special treatment. I resented her until the age of ten. At that age, I was finally able to let go of my resentment and become her friend before I went off to Hogwarts."

Harry, never having had any siblings, frowned a bit at this but continued listening with an open mind. "Go on," he replied.

Noticing he was listening intently, Daphne continued, "These past four years everything had been great. Then, my parents decide to send me a letter saying that two new people are staying at my house, one of them permanently. I do not feel as resentful about my new brother. He will honestly take away the burden of having to be Head of House, and, this way, I do not have to marry politically. Plus, the house elves generally help take care of most of an infant's needs, freeing up a lot of time for my parents while still accompanying them while we are away. In fact, I'm actually pretty happy that they won't be alone anymore. I figured that out after venting to you, actually."

Harry gave her a light smile as she relaxed into his side and put her head on his shoulder - for heat of course. They stayed like that for a few seconds, lost in thought, before Harry broke the silence by saying, "I'm guessing your real problem is with a certain American wizard then?"

Daphne became incensed again at the name and began her tirade, "Yes! He has been all Astoria or my parents talk about since Christmas! My mom doesn't shut up about his advancements in a field she can't tell me about. Astoria wonders if we're adopting him. As you can see, even Tracey has decided to befriend him! He's all that Hogwarts talks about and it's driving me crazy."

"There's something else there," Harry commented wisely. "Why do you seem like you've been personally attacked?"

"He humiliated me in front of Slytherin yesterday! He slapped my wand out of my hand with his as if it were a sword!"

"But you drew your wand first?"

"Yes, but he kept making witty comments which were driving me crazy!"

"You attacked him just because he made some comments?"

"Well, no, I guess my previous anger may have contributed to that."

"And why were you previously angry?"

"Because he looks so smug!"

"Well that I can understand. He did seem a bit full of himself. But that's not the real reason is it."

"Fine, it's not. He's a bloody foreign genius! How am I supposed to compete at home or at school when everyone finds out he's my new 'brother'?"

After that confession, Daphne was reeling yet looked the most vulnerable and insecure she had in years. Seeing her about to break down, he gingerly put an arm around her. She responded by melting into his light embrace, grateful for the comfort.

"Daphne," he tried, "you don't need to compete with him to shine. Yes, he has a lot of good qualities, but I'm willing to bet he has a large assortment of weaknesses that he covers up, just like all of us do. You are a wonderful girl with so much potential, but you have to discover it yourself before truly being able to shine."

"Where did you get such a way with words, Potter?" she teased.

"Well, I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Not even Ron and Hermione know this."

"Alright Harry, spill!"

"Well, when I was growing up at my relative's house, I would often have nothing to do so I would be forced to read whatever was available in the living room. Unfortunately, my aunt and uncle only read romance novels and the newspapers."

Daphne raised an eyebrow at him. "So you're telling me you grew up reading romance novels? That's priceless! Did you not have your own books though?"

"My family life was not great, to say the least. But that's a story about the past that I try to forget when I'm here. Hopefully, my future family will be much different."

Intrigued by his wistful tone, she questioned him further, careful not to push too far. "What do you mean by that? Are you going to be adopted by someone?"

"Not necessarily adopted, but something along those lines. Though I was talking about a future family. It's embarrassing, but I imagine what my wife and kids would look like sometimes. Is that weird?"

"No Harry, it's not." she replied sincerely. She realized just how wistful the boy was and wondered about his current residence. It couldn't be good if this was his greatest dream.

Daphne, however, was curious about his dream family. It was something that she had thought of before, especially as a kid. Three kids, two girls and one boy, she had decided.

"Alright then, tell me about your future family."

He hesitated, but was quickly convinced after looking into her eyes. She was probably manipulating him, but he didn't care. "Well, I always imagined having three kids. The oldest would be a girl. The only boy would be the second child. Finally, the baby would be a little girl, younger than the other two. And my wife would be kind, caring, and protective of her kids."

Daphne was shocked that his dream family so closely resembled her childhood imagination. "Wow Harry, that's actually really sweet. It's also exactly how I imagined my future family when I was younger."

"Really? What a coincidence."

"It must be," she replied with a smile. "Thank you Harry, for everything. You've given me a lot to think about."

As she started pulling away from him and the blanket, she saw him watching her with a smile. Soon, they got lost in each other's eyes - blue meeting green with equal intensity.

"Close your eyes," she commanded lightly.

Harry did not even think of disobeying and quickly closed his eyes, a bit sad at not seeing her blue eyes anymore. However, the feeling of soft lips on his quickly wiped away any sadness. At first, he was shocked. By the time he was able to react to the soft lips on his, Daphne had already retreated. When he opened his eyes, he saw Daphne's blue irises mere centimeters from his.

She put her hand on his and told him, "Sometimes, you don't need a grand gesture to win me over."

Smirking after seeing his dazed face, she slowly stood up and headed for the door. His eyes followed her trail until she stopped at the door of the observatory where she turned around to face him.

"Oh and Potter" she teased, "I still expect grand gestures from you. My kisses are hard to earn after all."

After saying that, she winked and left the observatory, leaving Harry to watch the morning sky with a finger on his lips, feeling the ghost of Daphne's kiss.

* * *

Though it was only his second day of school, William Solo was already cursing Hogwarts under his breath. His first class, Charms with the Hufflepuffs, had been fine. Daphne had not glared as often, Tracey had passed him notes that had him silently chuckling, and he had been able to sit behind Susan Bones, much to his delight. Unfortunately, she did not turn around for the entire class as she was dutifully writing notes. Will, on the other hand, doodled on his note paper and was called out by the Professor. Much to the irritation and amazement of his classmates and the diminutive professor, he cast the summoning charm perfectly.

"What," he had asked the class, who was staring at him. "It is a really nifty spell to use when you don't want to pick something up that's far away. I just had to learn it so that I could be lazy."

"Please see me after class, Mr. Solo," the professor interrupted before continuing his class.

After class, he had been both scolded and praised for his attitude and casting, respectively. Professor Flitwick had assigned him to research complex variations of the summoning charm instead of completing the standard essay. Though he did not know it, he had piqued the interest of the professor who was trying to judge his newest pupil's potential.

That research project, however, was what led him to the library, where he was fuming at the fact that he had to open dusty books. He had learned magic without the use of reading materials and was used to researching on his computer. Thus, the antiquated Hogwarts library irked him. However, he was brought out of his irritation when he accidentally bumped into a witch that was reaching for a high book and had stumbled backwards.

"Allow me," he said, and cast a summoning charm to retrieve the book. Recognizing the girl's face, he said, "Wait, I know you, you talked to me last night! Hermione right?"

Smiling after being handed the book, she replied, "Yes, glad you remembered."

"Well only a few people have been nice enough to talk to me instead of about me. And who could forget all the questions about my wand?"

"I am actually here because of that conversation. You got me thinking about the energy of magic, thus I came to see what I could find about it. Do you want to sit with me? I'm sure you have some helpful insights on the topic."

"I'd love to, though I'd like to think that there's another reason why you'd want to sit with me." Ignoring her blush, he continued, "Do you by any chance know where I can get a book on the summoning charm? Flitwick gave me a special research project today after class."

"Sure, I could probably help you find it. Is that what we're doing in Charms? I have the class in the afternoon."

Ten minutes later, the duo approached a small, rectangular table with four chairs, one of them occupied.

"You'd think they could at least modernize and put these books onto a scanner or something. This isn't 1960, it's 2017!"

"There is a lack of progress in this world," she said, sitting down next to the lone figure at the table. "Oh by the way, this is my friend, Neville Longbottom. He came down to the library to accompany me."

"Hello Neville, the name's William."

"Nice to meet you. You're the first American I've ever met." Though Neville was being polite, he was inwardly annoyed that Hermione had invited another person, especially another guy, into the few moments they sat alone together.

After some more small talk, the three read their books in silence until Hermione frustratedly closed her book. "It's the fifth book on magical theory I've read yet nowhere does it mention anything about magic's energy."

"I'll explain everything my tutors and parents taught me about the nature of magic some other day. I don't think they'll have what you're looking for here, it's cutting edge research."

"I thought you were a Muggleborn," replied Neville, looking up from his book.

"Well, I am, but my parents studied the properties of my magic as they are both scientists. The results fascinated them. In fact, they were the ones who suggested Palladium for my wand."

Hermione looked intrigued but was busy taking out her Arithmancy textbook. "Your parents study magic? That's awesome! There's a few areas where both worlds collide, that's why I'm taking Arithmancy this year."

"Arithmancy, like math?" asked Will.

"Yes, I'm working on next week's assignment right now," she replied as she opened her book.

"That sounds interesting, mind if I take a look?"

"Sure," she replied, turning the book to slide it over to his side of the table.

"Actually, I think it would be easier if I sat next to you. That way, I don't keep you from your homework but can read about it."

"Is that okay Neville?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah, it's fine," he responded.

He was not amused, however, when they sat particularly close together and were lost in whispered academic debates about the simplicity of Arithmancy. In fact, they seemed to be in perfect sync as they went through the pages and read ahead after the assignment was completed in record time. To any passerby, it would seem as if the two were more than just friends, much to Neville's chagrin. Unfortunately, he was too shy to say anything and tried to focus on reading. Because of this, Neville never noticed the frequent glances William shot at a certain blonde Ravenclaw sitting two tables behind him.

* * *

By the time Saturday rolled around, William felt relieved. Though he did well in all his classes and had even made a few acquaintances, he felt the pressure of having his every move watched by teachers and students alike. Tracey, for the most part, had tried to distract him from the gossip while Harry had offered some advice to deal with the pressure.

Will, however, had other ideas. At around ten in the morning, he had left the dorm and was heading out to the grounds with a football, wanting to kick it around for a bit as he had done in the Muggle world. He picked a clearing of grass by the Great Lake as the Quidditch Pitch was being occupied by the Gryffindor team and began trying to do some kick-ups. Truthfully, there was not much to do while he was alone.

At the same time, Astoria Greengrass exited the castle, intent on reading while sitting on her favorite rock by the lake. However, she was surprised by the sight of someone kicking a ball on the grass near her rock. Upon closer inspection, she recognized the wizard as her new fellow resident.

Curious, she approached him. "Are you playing with a football?" she asked him when she got into speaking range.

"Football? Oh, you mean soccer, right. Sorry, I've got the bad habit of saying soccer. Hi Astoria, what brings you around here?" he asked her, though he was nervous for an odd reason.

"Well, I came down here to read on that rock by the lake, but I've never played football before. Want to teach me?"

"Sure!" he exclaimed a little too quickly. "Let's start with passing. Open up your foot and-"

For the next hour, they passed the ball around, not trying anything more complicated. They were both exhausted by the amount of times that they had to chase the ball after Astoria's mis-kicks, but to be fair, it was her first day.

"Well that was harder than expected. I definitely did not dress for this," she commented, pointing out her white blouse and black skirt.

"You did fine!" Will responded, trying very hard not to look her up and down in her fashionable attire. He ended up looking odd, looking at the rock instead of her.

"You're a horrible liar, but thanks for being nice. And thanks for teaching me! Come on, let's go sit on my rock!" she exclaimed, dragging him by the hand to the big rock overlooking the lake. Luckily for him, she did not notice his blush.

When they sat down, Will left a sizeable gap between them, which Astoria noticed but did not comment upon. Instead, she asked about something she had been curious about. "So, a little birdie told me you have functioning electronics. Is that true?"

"Yeah, it is! I had to modify the copper wiring to contain lead, as that blocks most magical interference. Of course, it became much easier when I could transfigure the metal instead of doing it by hand."

"That's fascinating! Why does lead even resist magic?"

"From what I learned in Muggle chemistry classes, lead is exceptionally good at blocking radiation. Magical radiation can be blocked by lead, as I discovered accidentally when taking an X-ray once."

"A what?"

"Doesn't matter. The point is, my family and I patented the technology in the American wizarding world and began to sell Nomag technology to the wizards. We were planning on expanding to Britain, which is part of the original reason as to why I'm here."

"Fascinating, you've got one of the sharpest minds I've ever encountered. You should've come to Ravenclaw with me," she said with a slight pout, which sent shivers down his spine. She was adorably sexy to him when she did that, which made him all the more nervous.

"That would've been nice," he replied lamely.

Luckily, his awkward response was covered up by the arrival of his new friend Tracey. "Hey Will! Hey Astoria! I was looking for you!"

"Which one of us?" asked Will.

"Astoria, actually, sorry Will! Girl talk!"

"I'm hurt Tracey, I thought you'd be looking for me. That's okay, I'll remember this next time we play Call of Duty and I'm tempted to go easy on you," he replied with a smirk, feeling more in his element.

"Ha, you wish! I beat you last time," responded Tracey.

"That was because you grabbed my leg when I was about to win!" he protested.

"All's fair," she shot back. "Plus, you did the same thing after the match, and much higher on my leg, you player."

"You did it first, how could I deny the wonderful invitation that is your leg?"

At this, they both cracked up for a few seconds. Astoria merely watched the interaction in complete awe.

"Anyways, I'll leave you to your talk. Bye Trace! Bye Astoria!" he said before grabbing his ball and disappearing back into the castle.

"Well that was a complete turnaround," commented Astoria.

"What do you mean?" asked the black-haired Slytherin.

"He was so quiet, nervous, and subdued when he talked to me. He barely even looked at me," she said with a frown. "With you, he was so confident and flirtatious. I just find it weird."

"That could just be my personality. You're talking to the girl who turned Ron Weasley, after all," she said with playful arrogance.

"Too true," responded Astoria, though she kept the difference of interactions in her mind. "How are things with Ron by the way?"

"They're alright, but a bit strained. The boy can flirt, but some of his old self still bleeds through. I can tell he's jealous about the amount of time I spend with Will and I'm sure he's heard the rumors of our interactions. Honestly, I don't know where any of this is going to go."

"Better figure it out then," said Astoria, trying to analyze Tracey's body language to decipher the feelings behind her words.

"Anyways, speaking of jealous friends, you really need to talk to Daphne. I'm tired of having to split myself between my two friends."

Astoria gave a sly smirk in response. "Actually, I have a plan for that, and I need you to be a key player."

* * *

The next day, Daphne was surprised to not see Harry at breakfast, which surprised her as they'd been getting much closer. However, she assumed he had merely overslept and she planned on making him pay for making her eat alone. As she walked outside, however, she saw a figure on the Quidditch stands.

 _You'd better have a good reason for missing breakfast Potter,_ she thought to herself. However, when she had finally reached the top of the stands, the figure standing there was not who she had been expecting.

"You're not Potter!" "You're not Astoria!" they chorused simultaneously.

"William? What are you doing here so early? Meeting my sister?"

"I was surprised too, she asked me to meet her here out of the blue. It seemed a bit odd."

"I think we've been played. She probably set us up here so we would have to talk."

"Well I could think of worse situations than being stuck speaking to a beautiful girl," he replied, not really knowing what else to say.

"Oh please, cut the lines. Boys before you have tried and failed. You can go flirt with Tracey and Astoria, they might like your lines."

"I'll have you know I have never flirted with Astoria!"

"Regardless, she set this rendezvous up. Though I was angry at the sight of you, a conversation with a friend made me realize I owe you an apology and a second chance."

"That would be great, especially since we will be seeing a lot more of each other, I'd say. What do you say we get to know each other a bit? Maybe you'll find you don't completely detest me!" replied Will with a small grin.

"That sounds good, but no cheesy lines. Otherwise, I am open to getting to know you as well, brother," she responded with a smirk.

"If you really think that will stop my lines, you are sorely mistaken. I'm sure you know I am merely a permanent guest and not adopted - so there's nothing you can do to stop me," he replied, maturely sticking his tongue out.

"I could always show you why they call me Ice Queen," she replied with a devious grin that sent shivers down his spine.

"Alright, I will try to control myself, but no promises."

"You'd better, or I'm going to have to hex Astoria for setting you upon me."

"Well, Ice Queen, do tell me about yourself, after all, I'm sure Tracey has told you all about me."

By the end of that morning, a tentative friendship was formed.

* * *

 **A/N: This is the last chapter of Will's detailed introduction to other characters. I added this to better show the starting point of a lot of drama and explanation that is to come. Some of you may find this kind of chapter boring, others fun. Next chapter will time skip an entire month to roll with the plot! Sorry for taking so long to finish, but I'm excited to see how the story reaches the end goal!**


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